The lies you fake
by Wayward Dreamer
Summary: When Bo is in dire need of healing, she finds an unexpected savior in everyone's favorite stubborn Valkyrie, but things take an unexpected turn when feelings develop.
1. Unexpected Savior

"There is love, of course. And then there's life - it's enemy." _Jean Anouilh._

* * *

Blood dripping and wounds disclosed, the latest action in the street hadn't gone exactly to plan. Bo couldn't recall when she had gone from having the upper hand to suffering several deep gashes across her torso, along her sides and down her legs. Sufficed to say, when fighting an under Fae who had claws that could make every feline on the planet whimper to a dark corner in shame. She couldn't categorize what it was called, in fact, it took what little stamina she could conjure to high-tail it out of there before she got herself ripped to pieces. A ceasing guilt crept her mind to think that unsuspecting civilians may become the next target. Their death would be on her hands. Not literally, but paved deeply into her conscience.

The succubus strained to see through a blurred vision as she balanced herself against the wall. Her body felt both heavy in some area and as light as a feather in others. It put her balance way out of sync, hence why she kept stumbling every second or third step that she took. By a miracle alone, she had reached the familiar door to Dyson's apartment, because quite frankly she was in serious need of healing and he had proven to be her most proficient match. Emotions attached or not, she knew that it was a solid plan to use someone that she relied on with her life. Bo craned her bruised arm up and pounded her bloodied fist into the wooden door.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Still, there was no sign of an answer. No movement to be heard through the wooden obstruction in front of her. Exhaling a painful breath, she assured herself that the male was probably just listening to his music too loud - even though things were silent enough to hear a pin drop. Repeating her previous action, she forced her knuckles to hit against the door again, harder this time. The lack of response was making her already-racing heart spiral into a much more overbearing level. Injury and panic made for a terrible combination, as she had learned many times in the past, but this time felt worse, somehow. Maybe the added hopelessness of not seeing the shapeshifter in front of her had done the trick. _'Come on Dyson, where are you?'_ Bo's inner thoughts only asserted the fact that she was on her own. Like deadweight, she dropped her hand to clasp at the door knob, attempting to twist it to see whether or not she could use a simpler means to get into the apartment, but it was locked, unfortunately.

"Out of all of the Fae in this town, the one I need just has to be out." The succubus uttered to herself as she took a clumsy step back until she had slumped against the wall. Her tired limbs and heavy eyes were tempting her to succumb to rest but she knew better than that. Sleeping would be a sure death for her in her current condition. She shook her head as though it would sweep the lure away. "Great, just great."  
Bo used whatever willpower she could still cling to in order to urge herself from the wall. She began to hobble back the way she had come from, clasping one hand to her side to clamp onto the deepest slash. It was the worst as it continued to leak the warm, thick, blood from her body. The feel of her most vital bodily fluid caked against her palm and fingers was making her nauseous; said thought distracted her mind so much that she had made it out into the cold street. A small gale of wind blowing by her was the only realization she had that now was the time to come up with a back-up plan. Given that it was during the late hours of the night, the street was empty, which was both good and bad. Good because she wouldn't draw unwanted attention to herself. Bad because her chances of finding an adequate feed were screwed.  
As she fought against swaying, the succubus wracked her mind for another hope. The Dal was too far for her to reach and the next closest location of familiarity was the 39th Division. The local police station where Dyson worked. It was usually kept open through all hours if ever there was an emergency. Could the male be there? He was frequently at the gym within the building when he needed to let off some steam. Perhaps he had decided upon a late night training session. Well, there was only one way to find out. What other option did she have while she bled out? Seconds of waiting were simply seconds that she could feel the grim reaper grinning down upon her. She had been dodging his somber clutches for too long to get caught now.

With a plan set in her mind, Bo ordered her body to begin moving again. Each step she took was heavier than the last, and every breath gave her a sharp and painful reminder as to exactly where she was hurt. And to be honest, the agony screamed in all directions. As she walked down the dismal pavement, she kept telling herself that she needed to survive this night - for Kenzi, for Lauren, for the chance to catch up to that damn under Fae and give it the rematch of it's life, literally. Picturing it's gaunt and scaly face was enough to make her teeth grit in contempt.

It had taken all of about seven minutes until the succubus was pulling the door to the station open, the corridor lights caused her eyes to squint - what with it being much brighter in here compared to where she had previously been. Glancing from side to side, to get her bearings right, Bo soon made a turn down one end of the hallway. She winced when she noticed that a few drops of blood were hitting against the clean marble floor beneath her feet. Oh perfect, if she bled to death then at least there would be a trail for everyone to follow so that they could find her body.

The thought wasn't inspiring, but it gave her a bitter amusement for a few fleeting seconds as she descended the small set of stairs that led down to the fitness room. _'Please be here, Dyson.'_ She pleaded in her mind as she heard the distant booming of music once she had reached the ground floor.

Thank the heavens, the music meant that someone was here.

The dark cloud of despair that had been looming over Bo's head was suddenly beginning to disperse.

The sheer and utter hopelessness was scattering, even though the physical pain still remained.

As the succubus progressed further along the hall, the song became more audible. She couldn't admit to recognizing the music, but it sounded like something she would expect the wolf-shifter to work out to.

She made her way into the open room, although froze immediately in her tracks.

Her hopes were pinned on finding Dyson, but that wasn't who she saw. No, in the near distance, by the strung up punchbag, she saw the back of an all too familiar blonde.

In the past ten minutes Bo's luck had gone from bad, to worse, to hopeless, then to not-so-hopeless and now she had finally arrived at unbearably ironic. She needed a miracle to get her to the morning and she had found one that she had not expected, or particularly wanted.

Tamsin hadn't even noticed her yet, not with the way that she was pre-occupied with squaring her fists into the boxing bag as though it was her one and only rival in this life.

Against all judgement, Bo couldn't help but watch the way that the woman's body moved, it was strangely appealing - as though it was wrong that a person should look attractive while throwing pretty tough punches. The succubus was really out of options as she ventured further into the room. This was not going to be pleasant. She and the valkyrie had a checkered history.

Once she was close enough, she reached her hand out in preparation to tap the blonde on the shoulder to alert her of her presence. The music had masked the sound of her steps rather well, she assumed.

However, said assumption was proven wrong when she found that Tamsin's hand had already shot back and grasped her wrist, painfully tight. "Well, well." The valkyrie's tone oozed smugness as she began to turn around, "it's not very courteous to sneak up on a lady-" Immediately her words came to a flatline when she found that she hadn't caught some pervert or intruder, but rather... the infamous unaligned succubus. On first sight alone, the brunette looked like hell. She hadn't seen so much blood before, or at least she couldn't remember if she had.  
The blonde loosened her grip, but didn't release her hold. "Don't tell me, you got into a cat fight with your beloved doc?" Trust her to start making wise cracks. In the next second, she had pushed Bo's forearm from her grip.

"You wish." The succubus mumbled sorely as she watched the valkyrie through a set of heavy lidded eyes. It was difficult to hear with the way the music was constantly blaring and she had even cringed to show that the volume was unpleasant to her ears, but thankfully that problem was taken care of when Tamsin carelessly leaned down and hit her thumb against the button on the stereo to stop the current track. The sudden silence was almost daunting, and yet Bo's ears weren't complaining anymore, so in that sense she knew that she was a little grateful. Manners were the last thing she expected from the blonde.

"So," Tamsin began as she straightened back up, casually stretching her arms behind her back, "wanna tell me what you're doing here? Or do you just enjoy wasting my time?"

Well, the tense atmosphere was already at a strong point between the two, as always, and Bo found herself too exhausted to want to go for a full-fledged argument. "I came here looking for Dyson."

"...but you found someone _much_ better." The valkyrie arrogantly added through a small smirk as she turned around and walked across to the wooden counter, in which her bottle of water rested upon. "Let me guess, you wanted to romp with the wolf to make you feel all new again? And then the merry little gang of smiles and rainbows wouldn't lose their star player."

The succubus was finding it increasingly difficult to hold her tongue with the way that she was being verbally taunted. "I do need to heal, yes. Ten points detective." She replied stubbornly as she tried to approach the same area where the valkyrie was now standing, but her steps were less refined. "I hate to say it, but that under Fae really did a number on me." Groaning the end of her words, she couldn't believe that Tamsin was just able to take a drink of water and nod along as though they were discussing something trivial like a tea party.

Once the blonde had finished sipping the cold liquid, she lowered the bottle back to the counter, raising a brow as a bitter smirk grew across her lips. "Hm, you've got guts to take on an under Fae solo." Her words were close to a compliment, but she never breached that line. Instead she tipped her head in the direction of the door, "but as you can see Dyson isn't here. It sucks to be you." She hummed through a teasing voice.

Bo wasn't sure whether Tamsin was being serious for her to leave, or whether she was milking the situation for it's worth. Surely she must have known the reason as to why she wasn't left in peace right now. It irritated the brunette to no end as she gazed at the ever constant smirk on the other female's face. Damn it, why did she have to look so annoying... and yet **so** beautiful?

"Tamsin..." Bo said, in a sort of warning. She never liked being jerked around like this.

"Yes?" The valkyrie answered, mockingly, before she feigned a look of surprise. "Oh, you mean... you need to feed _right_ now?" She was acting thoughtful, but it only took another second until she had shrugged her shoulders and attempted to walk past the struggling-to-stay-awake succubus. "Well, good luck with that."

All of the unfading arrogance caused something to snap a little inside of Bo, as before she knew it, she had unconsciously taken a hold of the blonde's bicep to stop her from leaving. "Please." Resorting to pleading made her feel ill inside, although it was her last remaining option. She didn't want her pride to become her downfall. "Believe me when I say that I wish it had been Dyson here, but... please."

"I'm not your friend Bo, you're mistaking me for someone who gives a damn." Tamsin remarked uncaringly as she tried to tug her arm back to herself.

"Jesus, Tamsin, don't pull that crap with me. You were the one who went out of your way to help me rescue Kenzi, you let me feed off of you. That means something." The succubus rebounded and curled her fingers tighter.

"Still thinking about that, are you? I can't say that I blame you, my energy did give you quite the kick."

Being reminded of how the valkyrie's Chi tasted caused Bo to feel a small twinge of desire, as though she remembered how addictive it had been and how Tamsin's lips had felt against her own for those brief moments beforehand. Now that she thought about it, the blonde looked highly enticing right now; her body hyped up from the exercise, her stomach muscles showing themselves to be perfectly toned given the sports crop-top she was wearing and her hair tied back, which displayed how smooth her neck was.

In that brief analysis, the succubus found that she was stepping closer, tugging the other female around to face her properly, "My mind is hazy on that, but if you give me a repeat performance...I'm sure I will agree."

Tamsin found that her resolve wasn't as astute when Bo was lessening the distance between them. "A repeat performance? What am I? Some sort of circus act?" Ever the snidey one, she would never pass up an opportunity to take a verbal jab.

"You call it a circus act, I call it a service of life saving." Aware that there would be some form of witty comeback, the succubus didn't give Tamsin the chance, she just hauled her down into a full-on kiss, practically crushing their lips together as one last act of desperation. And to her surprise, the valkyrie had responded quicker than she had thought. She could feel the woman's tongue intruding into her mouth, invading everywhere until reaching her own. Bo's moans were caught in the back of her throat as she threw her arms around the blonde's neck, holding her tight like she was a form of oxygen support.

And in return, Tamsin's hands were gripping against the brunette's hips as the two began to move backwards. She was trying to keep the other female steady while their tongues were at war, tangling and thrashing in a way that would make a nun faint. Maybe all of the tension between them had caused things to get heated so quickly, they had probably been dancing around this for so long now that it was bound to blow-up like this sooner or later. And in this circumstance, it was the former.

The succubus was making small noises as she raked her fingernails down the valkyrie's top, indicating that she wanted it off. She clung to the material tightly, breaking the kiss through a light gasp as her back was pushed up against the wall. Both women were heaving in deep breaths already and Tamsin had quickly attacked Bo's neck with her lips, nipping the tender flesh before she soothed over the same area with her tongue. She could feel her newly-found lover squirm in delight as she began to undo the buttons on her blood stained shirt.

Although as soon as she found one button that was putting up more resistance than was considered intelligent, the valkyrie aggressively tore the rest of the blouse open and then yanked it down the injured female's body. And in doing so, she only ignited the same fire from the succubus, because she found that she was forced to raise her arms so that Bo could finally pull the crop-top from her.

No sooner did both items get thrown somewhere to the ground, the valkyrie and the succubus were back on each other as if there was no tomorrow. Tamsin picked up where she left off as she continued to trail of hot kisses down the brunette's neck.

"Mmm." Bo failed at trying to stifle a moan. The blonde just seemed to know the exact spots which made her weak. All of her arousal was pooling through her body, and she could sense that the valkyrie's own aura was equally as explosive. It was difficult to recall the pain in her body when she was being attacked with so much pleasure instead. Even though she still considered Tamsin to be an uptight and unemotional jackass, she had to hand it to her that her mouth was blanketing all of the sensual areas on Bo's neck to the point where it felt insane. Only now did she become aware that she was being teased with the way that this event was taking it's time.

"Tamsin, please..." She forced her words through a breathless voice as she focused on getting the blonde out of her damn clothes.

"Do you beg like this when you're with Lauren? Or is it a right reserved only for me?" The blonde purred in a sly voice, her words spoken against the woman's neck.

Bo could feel the smirk against her neck - and along with the words - it drove her wild inside. No, she hadn't begged before. This was a first. "Don't get to used to it, because by the time I'm done with you, you'll know exactly what it's like."

She could tell by the lack of a quick response that she had probably excited the other female. And the answer to follow was a dead giveaway. "Is that a promise?"

"You bet." Bo used the last burst of strength she had to push away from the wall until she had literally tackled Tamsin straight to the ground. It was a bold move but she knew that it was the type of rough play that the detective would go for. Initially she had been the one on top however it didn't stay that way. As much as she tried to resist, the valkyrie was able to get the upper hand this time. And Bo was left to stare up at that very same smirk of confidence.

Tamsin didn't have to put much effort into keeping the injured female steady underneath her, she snuck her hand down between their bodies so that she could unbutton Bo's jeans. Each action was a tease in itself as she then ventured beneath the underwear until her palm had cupped firmly against her lover's core.

"Oh..." Bo whimpered softly as she urged her hips closer into the contact, she was embarrassed over how wet she had become, especially since it proved that the valkyrie was the causer.

"Well, you know how to make a girl feel special don't you?" The detective brushed her fingers through the moist folds, spreading Bo's juices around a little. "Do you realize how wet you are right now, succulette?"

The questions really weren't helping Bo's state of mind, in fact, it turned her on so much that she craved to have the power to just screw Tamsin's brains out. "Can you just-" Trying to give a hint at what she wanted, she continued to raise her hips to meet the female's touch as best as she could. She was beyond ready.

"Can I just...?" Tamsin repeated the words as slow as she could, obviously waiting for an end to the original sentence. Her fingertips were beginning to strum lightly against the succubus' clitoris, which was both tender and swollen due to all of the foreplay so far.

Bo had to close her eyes, inhaling a shuddering breath when the was receiving some attention, but it wasn't enough. "Shit, can you just take me already." There, she said it. And it was less of a request and more of a desperate command.

Her words had clearly gotten her somewhere though, without warning, she felt that the female had driven two fingers inside of her, roughly. A sharp gasp burst from Bo's closed lips before she ended up arching her back, "Oh, god!" She exclaimed in sheer bliss as the valkyrie's digits began to thrust in and out of her at a pace she could only describe as 'mind numbing'. The succubus had been with women before, and even now she was in a solid relationship with Lauren, but Tamsin was so controlled and sure of herself. Her movements were strong and way too precise.

It was as though she knew how to work Bo's body inside and out - and that was a little scary given that they had never had sex up until now. All of her thoughts turned to mush as Tamsin ground her palm against her clit, forcing her to buck her hips up. "Oh, oh... Tamsin, yes, right-right there..." Her moans were husky and heavy as she clung to the valkyrie, feeling the way that the muscles in her left arm became tense everytime she drove her fingers deep into the succubus.

Bo was now grinding her hips up and against the movements, creating more friction, her fingernails were digging in to Tamsin's shoulders, raking red marks over the pale skin. She could feel all of the pleasure knotted in her groin burn as she was driven closer to that euphoric edge. She needed the sweet release, just about as much as she needed to feed. The atmosphere was so charged that she could feel her thighs beginning to tremble. The valkyrie's fingers were exploring every sensitive crevasses that existed inside of her, and it was during a particularly hard thrust that she gave in. "I'm... I'm coming..." She was breathlessly crying out as her muscles started to tighten; her body shining in a light sweat as the wave of an intense orgasm started to wash through her.

Tamsin could feel the female's inner walls grip against her digits and she continued to work the succubus through the powerful climax, paying attention to the way that her back was arching and that her mouth was agape as though she was lost to reality. It was a beautiful sight to finally behold and she felt as if she had won. Her thumb circled firmly around Bo's clitoris, which she was sure was going to send her to her peak for a second time. God, she hoped that it did.

The two of them were a mess of sweat and smeared blood stains as they pressed tightly into one another on the gym floor. It was a good thing the building was empty because there had been quite a lot of noise from the aroused succubus.

During the torrent of pleasure coursing through her, Bo managed to grasp at some stability. She took a hold of the detective's cheeks and forced their lips together harshly. What started out as a kiss soon transformed into a feeding session as she began to draw out the desired Chi. Tamsin's mouth was parted as the blue flow of energy transferred from her and straight to the succubus. It's potent rejuvenation was beginning to mend all of the critical wounds already. The gashes were no longer bleeding out and the bruises were masked back to pristine skin. The Chi was always so addictive that Bo had trouble pulling herself away, she didn't want to take too much from the blonde, and she just managed to stop herself before she really did get carried away.

Slumping back down onto the cold floor, she was exhausted and re-energized all at once. "Wow."

Tamsin, on the other hand, felt exerted from how much energy she had so generously given to the other female. She was panting softly as she moved both of her hands to rest against the floor at either side of Bo, simply to keep herself propped up so that she didn't end up collapsing. "Glad to see that you're back in working order." She couldn't help but feel a little proud with the way she had made the succubus writhe around so much, but she didn't actually plan on admitting that, otherwise it might sound as though she was getting attached.

There was a silence between the two, which was rather awkward now that the lust and healing had been fulfilled. Being the more hot-headed of the two, the valkyrie figured that she was going to have to be the one to break the tension first. "Well, since you're no longer on death's door, we can call this a night. As much as I'd love to remain a tangled mess on the floor with you, a valkyrie has things to do." Her sarcasm had returned to her tone as though it had never left in the first place and as she used a lot of effort to pull herself back up to her feet, she finally saw that she had some of Bo's blood against her stomach, bra and along her arms. "Great, you leave quite the mess."

"Think of it as payback for the way you tore my shirt. How am I going to explain that to Lauren?" Bo huffed as she also stood up. It was amazing as to how freely her body was working. All of her earlier pain was nothing more than a bad memory.

"Just tell her that I'm an uncontrollable force that dominated you, and that I had you begging." Tamsin shrugged her shoulders and then pointed a stern index finger at the brunette. "Don't forget the begging. Never forget the begging." Okay, so she was deliberately tormenting the way that she had managed to overwhelm the succubus completely.

"Tamsin." Bo was growling now, it was silly of her to think that she could rely on help to come up with an appropriate excuse for what had happened.

"Oh, just relax, will you? If you're worried that I'll say something to the doc, then don't. I'm hardly going to flaunt the fact that I spent my night touring your body." As the valkyrie began to chuckle to herself, she walked over to recollect her top from where it had been thrown, and as a small gesture of decency, she also lifted the female's torn blouse up. Without a second thought, she passed it across to her. And then she was quick to dress herself back into her full outfit again. As fun as standing around in her bra had been, she saw no need to linger, she had done her deed.

Bo was studying the valkyrie as she fixed her blouse onto her body as best as she could. Although thanks to Tamsin's earlier impatience, the buttons were only done up halfway, leaving her cleavage on show. She pursed her lips in thought, trying to figure out what to make of the situation, yes it had been purely with the intent for her to heal, but she had also come to realize that the blonde was incredible when it came to physical contact. "Look, I know that you and I don't exactly get along but thank you for..." She only paused when she noticed that she had caught the valkyrie's attention, earning her a raised brow. "Just thanks. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here."

Genuine gratitude was something new to the blonde and so she gave a small nod of acceptance. It almost appeared like a normal exchange, but then she resorted to keeping up her usual 'tough cop' appearance. "You'd probably have dropped dead from the lack of blood and extensive injuries."

"Thanks for that, _really_."

"You know me, sweetheart, I'd hate to lie." While walking past, the valkyrie gave a small wink and it was enough to make the succubus want to at least leave a mark of proof that this experience had happened between them.

Without waiting another second, Bo had grabbed a hold of the detective, pulling her surprised form up against her own.

"What the hell are you-" Tamsin's protest came to a quick end when she suddenly felt that the succubus had started to kiss along her neck, more forcefully than expected.

And then she sucked against the flesh, hard.

"...oh, what are you... doing..." It was too hard for the blonde to form a coherent sentence with the attention her neck was receiving, shoot, it was beginning to arouse her. A moan passed by her lips and she didn't even make an attempt to fend Bo off. She was just quite happy to become a puddle of lust and want again. But, that was before she caught onto what the succubus was actually doing. The teeth nipping and nibbling all the way along her skin caused her to place her hands onto the female's shoulders, giving her a gentle push back. "Dammit."

Tamsin quickly slapped her hand against her neck, her fingers feeling around the area that had become extremely tender. "Shit, Bo, you didn't..."

The succubus just stood with a proud smile on her face. The word 'pleased' being an understatement. "Didn't what? Give you a hickey? Sorry, _did_." She answered tactfully, seeing the look of horror on the valkyrie's face to know that she had willingly let herself fall into that trap. Now she was going to have a reminder of this one-off tryst. "Oh, and aren't you at work tomorrow? I bet everyone will be buzzing with questions when they see that. Tough luck."

"I just saved your ass, you know, but I sure as hell don't mind kicking it either." It appeared that she was the one beginning to growl this time around as she stormed forward, intending on getting out of the building as quickly as possible. And all the while she was mumbling to herself like a pouting child about 'damn succubi and their thorough hickeys'.

"Goodnight detective." Bo called after the blonde in an overly cheerful tone. Revenge wasn't something she often supported, but given how stubborn Tamsin had been ever since they met, she had the love-bite coming for a long time. And compared to half of the things that the succubus could have done to her, she believed that this was fairly light.

All she heard from Tamsin was a forced laugh of bitterness and a few inaudible, but no doubt, snide remarks.

Well, it was certainly going to be interesting the next time the two of them bumped into one another, but as for now, she knew that she needed to get back home to make sure that Kenzi was alright. The poor girl was probably worried to death, it had been hours since they had last seen one another. So, with that thought in mind, Bo retraced her steps and led herself out of the building. She had been a minute or so behind the valkyrie, so she wasn't shocked to find that the truck was already gone by the time she had exited the station. As much as she tried to focusing on her journey home, she couldn't sway her mind from reflecting on how impressive Tamsin had been. Her touch, her voice, her Chi. She was like the perfect Christmas present for any succubus, only, she was a gift that could be seen all days of the year opposed to only one.

* * *

This is my first attempt at a fanfic guys, so if you took the time to read then I really hope you enjoyed it. Reviews of any kind are more than welcome, and I'm happy to take on any advice, because there's always room for improvement. xD

To be continued? Yay or nay?


	2. The Games of Avoidance

"A lack of discipline. One hand to cut the other.

So unprofessional, you're not a friend, you're just a lover."

- The Birthday Massacre, _Goodnight_

* * *

Well, another day, another dollar, or so the saying went. Sufficed to say, after the unexpected turn of events last night, Tamsin's mind was unsettled. It shouldn't have been, considering that a succubus was prone to sleeping around with anyone who could provide benefits, or simply pleasure. Still, she was in disbelief over the matter. Normally, she would have sworn that it was just some very tired and obscene nightmare that her mind had concocted - but, oh wait - she had that lovely hickey on her neck to act as solid proof. Since the morning had started, she had tried to conceal the mark by wearing her hair down, but nothing worked. It had taken her a good ten minutes to come to a suitable compromise. "That damn succubus... thinks she can one-up me. Oh, she's sadly mistaken." The blonde detective was rambling to herself like a very petty competitor as she parked her truck outside the lot at the front of the station.

Once she was out of the vehicle, she slammed the door shut, although, upon realizing that she may have resorted to too much force, she gave an apologetic look at the truck, even going as far as to pat the front bonnet as she passed it by. It was as though she treated the means of transport as if it was some loyal household pet, but then again, it was basically all she had, so there was some sort of attachment there.

As she entered the building, she ignored any thought of acknowledging the corridor that led off to the gym and made her way straight to the quarters where the offices resided instead. There were a few faces she walked by, but none that she cared enough to recognize. Five people could have paid her a smile yet she wouldn't have even noticed. She rushed up the staircase and made sure to wear her trademark grin as she entered the main room where the desks of higher ranked detectives were stationed.

"I didn't take you as the early type." No less than seven seconds had passed before she heard a distinctive voice. It was deep - gruff, even - and it only broadened her expression.

The valkyrie turned around and gave her shoulders a half hearted shrug. "What can I say, I like to keep people guessing, partner." Her response was said without thought as she sauntered over to the desk where Dyson was. Although, when she noticed that he was staring at her for a little too long, she came to an untimely halt. "Problem?" She asked in an abrupt word, raising a brow to prove that she was indeed curious as to why she was suddenly being watched.

With a quirky grin, the male shook his head. "Oh, nothing. Nothing. You just look rather cozy."

His amused statement was aimed at nothing other than the fact that Tamsin happened to be wearing a burgundy polo neck. Yes, it was the only resort she had in order to hide the evidence of what had transpired between herself and the succubus. _'Not as cozy as I was last night with your favorite girl'_, the valkyrie thought to herself. However, her actual response was less hostile and more sarcastic. "I'm a detective, it's a refined look. It's not as if I could strut around in hot pants and a tube top, I'd hate to have some pesky wolf trying to get too friendly after all."

Dyson rolled his eyes in expectancy while his snarky partner pulled up a seat next to him. Admittedly, he had been reluctant to team up with her at first, but she had become infectious company. "Do you think there is a store that might sell an actual sense of humor?" His returning remarks were on fire today.

But, Tamsin was just a little sharper. As always. "I don't know, if I see one, I'll recommend it to you." When there was no comeback within five seconds, she knew that she had won this verbal ping pong and so she sat smugly in the chair. "So, what case are we working on today? Anything fun?"

"Well, we just received a report this morning-" Dyson leaned to the side during his explanation so that he could grab over the documented files next to him. He set it down onto the desk before flipping open the first page. "-that there is a rogue Under Fae roaming the streets. As far as we know, it abducts it's victims for days at a time and then leaves their flayed bodies lying around."

"Sounds like we've got a real winner on our hands here." Tamsin's voice was less concerned than the male's as she looked down to the image of said victims. It was pretty nasty stuff. "Do we know what the damn thing looks like?" Trying to think of the most important point first, she drew her attention away from the photographs of the deceased and mutilated bodies so that she could look at the male instead.

He scratched the side of his head before shaking it afterwards, "We don't, no." The answer had been hopeless to start with, but then he expanded, "but, I know someone that does."

"Oh yeah?" Tamsin was making very bland conversation, as if she was semi-focused. Averting her sights for the second time, she unconsciously started to flick through a couple of the pages in the files, looking for signs of patterns or connections between the victims. "And who might that be?"

"Bo."

As soon as she heard _that_ name, she inwardly cringed and ended up gripping onto the paper so tight that it was crumpling in her hand. Of course - now it made sense - why hadn't she put two and two together before? The succubus had said that she ran into trouble with a dangerous Fae yesterday and here she was looking over a very coincidental case. Tamsin said nothing more on the matter, mainly because she was too busy dreading the thought of working on something that involved the infuriating female.

Dyson had noticed the awkward change that came from the blonde, but he chalked it up to the fact that she and Bo had never seen eye-to-eye. "She contacted me about ten minutes ago and said she was on her way over."

"What... here!?" The valkyrie suddenly piped up but when she had caused most of the others in the room to stop working - as well as receiving a look of total shock from Dyson - she cleared her throat. "I mean, perfect. The more, the merrier."

"Look, I know you two don't get along, but a case like this is best solved as a team. Under Fae are uncontrollable, they will attack anything and anyone in sight with no remorse. Too many people have died over this already for us to let personal preference get in the way."

"Did I miss the election?" Tamsin asked out of the blue.

"Election? What are you talking about?"

"Oh you know, when you suddenly declared yourself as the '_almighty_' voice of reason."

"You are my partner, she is my friend. Work it out. Harder battles have been won." Dyson pointed out, but his words were abolished as usual.

"And Rome wasn't built in a day. Spare me the platitudes." The blonde bit back with equal edge. Of all the seven deadly sins, pride should have been replaced with the name Tamsin instead. She was too obstinate to want to conform to the ways of the 'good guys'. And when someone demanded that she do something, she purposely done the opposite - because commands were one thing she didn't stand for.

The male next to her was giving her a look that any father would give a child when they knew they were in the wrong. He had no idea about the close encounter the two females had shared, thus, he could only assume that the blonde's usual bitter front was just out of this rivalry she held toward the succubus.

And speaking of, it was within the next minute that the woman herself had walked into the office, with Kenzi following behind like the dutiful sidekick, as per usual. "Dyson." Bo's voice was filled with relief when she finally saw the male. With his absence the night before, she held her concerns, but that was clear sailing now that she had visual proof that he was in one piece.

_'God, she's here sooner than I thought'_, Tamsin was cursing in her own mind as she sunk down lower into the chair, bringing her hand to clasp over her forehead. Her back was facing the entrance to the room, thankfully. Although, even so, she could feel that Bo's eyes were on her.

"Bo, I'm sorry I missed your call last night. I had business with Trick." The male explained as he rose from the seat, "you weren't hurt, were you?"

"If I was, then I wouldn't be here now." The succubus gave a safe answer while she offered a kind smile back to Dyson. When no one else was speaking, she wanted to avoid awkwardness and so glanced to the sulking valkyrie, only seeing the back of her. "Hello Tamsin."

Oh, the blonde was sinking lower and more morbidly into her chair when she heard the kind voice that Bo had used. Tamsin mumbled something that incoherently sounded like 'hey', but she hardly put effort into it.

Kenzi looked as though she was about to whistle, but she was merely sucking in a small breath. "Wow, someone's gotten out of the wrong side of the bed this morning." She spoke as subtly as she could, as if the conversation was only supposed to be between herself and her best friend.

Before anything further could be discussed on that front, Dyson looked between the two standing females. "We should review the files and see if we can find a lead on a good location to track this thing." As he prepared to fetch the other set of notes that held the marked maps of the town, he found that Kenzi was more than willing to tag along with him. In fact, the two of them were beginning to walk and talk on their way to the metal filing cabinets at the far side of the room.

The valkyrie was like a robot, completely unwilling to budge an inch, but that problem fled to the farthest corner of her mind when she found that Bo had decided to pull up a chair so that she could sit opposite from her. The awkwardness level had reached a new record as Tamsin found that she was now staring at the succubus instead of the blank wall. It didn't help that the female was giving a knowing grin across to her.

Bo stretched her hand out, hooking her index finger into the collar of the polo neck, tugging lightly. "This is cute." She teased.

As soon as Tamsin heard the way that the succubus was toying with her on what had happened in the gym, she lightly swatted her hand away with her own. "It is NOT cute. It is cashmere, so stop stretching the material."

"Uh huh, sure, whatever you say. But I think we both know why you are wearing it." Bo's tongue clicked as she crossed her arms over the table, she never took her gaze away from the valkyrie.

"I'm wearing it because the central heating inside of this building is broken." The detective retorted in a defensive grumble, using the first lame ass excuse that came to mind.

The succubus then cast a slow look to the thermostat on the wall near to them, seeing that it was in perfect working order. "There's nothing wrong with-"

Before Bo could even finish her words, she was taken aback to see that Tamsin had shot up from the wooden seat and marched straight over to the way. The blonde clutched the temperature gauge and turned the dial so far that it ended up snapping. And only then did she return to sit down across from the succubus.

"Like I said, the central heating **is** broken. How sad."

By the time that Dyson and Kenzi had returned, the two females were glaring at each other by the desk, both of them seeming to be equally as frustrated. "Okay...?" The Russian girl cleared her throat as she pulled up a chair, and then the male also sat himself down so the four of them could focus on getting to work with this case.

"Alright," Dyson decided to take the reigns as he laid the local map out across the table so that everyone could view it, "as you can see, I've marked the areas where each body was found and it looks as though this Fae doesn't stick to the same place. It hasn't attacked the same area twice, which is why we're going to have to split up for this mission."

"Splitting up? I like it." Tamsin finally began to grin, naively believing that she would be able to go off and try to kill this thing by herself.

"Well, I was thinking that two of us should-"

"Hold it right there." The valkyrie interrupted her partner's words without a second thought. "No. If we all take a section of the town each then-"

And now, she was the one being cut off as she felt a small kick to her shin from underneath the table. "Ouch, what the hell was that for?" Immediately she glared at Bo, knowing for a fact that she was the one behind it.

"Kenzi is a human, we're not risking her life over this. Going two and two is a much smarter plan." The succubus said in a no-arguments voice. And the Russian girl was giving an eager nod next to her to prove that she agreed that her life was not up for sale on this mission of theirs.

"Pfft, humans. They're always so incapable of saving themselves." Tamsin rolled her eyes. Although, for the second time she was back to glaring when she found that she had received a light whack on the arm, courtesy of Kenzi. She gave her a look as if to say, _'I won't forget that_', but outwardly, she exasperated a different reaction, "Did I suddenly become a punching bag?"

_Punching bag_. As soon as she referred to it, it reminded her of the gym. And the gym reminded her of when Bo had lunged at her for that first frenzied kiss. The valkyrie exchanged a small glance to the succubus, and by the look on her face, her mind was also away in the gutter, revisiting the same memories. She found it difficult to tell where the other female's opinion rested on the matter. Sure it was just a feed and with the way they were acting around each other, it would be impossible for anyone to even think that they had been physical, but still, it had happened. Tamsin was under no obligation to have done it in the first place, she didn't owe these people anything, so she was also trying to figure out why she had engaged in the act yesterday. Was it an explosion of lust? A way to relieve the tension? A small favor? Or was she simply avoiding trying to search for a deeper answer?

Her thoughts didn't get much further than that when she heard Dyson's voice pulling her back into reality. He was explaining the best routes to go by and the most likely area that the next attack would take place in. Kenzi looked as though she was trying to keep up with all of the knowledge, but in the end she simply pointed to a random area on the map, tapping against it. "We should totally go there first."

As expected, Tamsin just sighed deeply and shook her head. "This isn't a game of monopoly, you can't just pick some random section of the town. Honestly, it amazes me that you humans have existed for this long." She preconceived that her insult would earn her another small kick, and as expected, as soon as she heard movement from underneath the table, she quickly caught Bo's leg between both of her own, preventing her from repeating her earlier action.

Finally, the valkyrie was back to wearing a comfortable smirk, tightening the grip her legs had against the succubus' as she tried to get back on track with whatever plan Dyson and Kenzi were trying to come up with.

Bo, on the other hand, was more focused on attempting to get her leg free. She knew one sure method to go for and so brought her other foot up to rub lightly along the valkyrie's leg. Even though she was wearing her boots, she kept the movement slow, almost sensual. Already she could see the distraction in the blonde's eyes as she tried to look at the map.

As predicted, when the brunette had inched the movement of her foot closer to the woman's thigh, she instantly released the grapple that her legs had been sporting. Her smirk dropped while Bo's suddenly increased.

"...so if we go for that idea then it will be our best possible option. Right?" Dyson asked out of nowhere, obviously he had worked everything out. The only problem was that Kenzi happened to be the single person who hung onto his every word. The other two were too focused on playing some rough form of 'footsie' under the table that everything discussed was as lost to them as love was to the devil.

When no one had given a response to the male's question, Bo took it upon herself to do so. She just gave a quick nod, forcing up her brightest smile as she looked over to the male shifter. "That sounds like a solid plan to me, we should just stick with it. No questions asked." It might have been a reckless move to just agree with something she didn't entirely know about. But how bad could it have really been? She put her trust in Dyson's judgement.

"Alright, it's settled then." The male nodded strongly as he packed the case file away and stood up from the chair. "Kenzi and I will patrol one half of the town, you and Tamsin can work in the other half."

Simultaneously, the valkyrie and succubus both looked as though they had signed themselves up for a fast-pass to hell.

'_Oh joy_', Tamsin thought bitterly to herself as she finally got up from the seat. She could barely deal with Bo in an office like this, nevermind one on one, what if she needed to heal again? Was the valkyrie expected to be her personal sex dispenser? God, could this get any worse?

"Remember, don't kill this Fae. We need to bring it back alive." Dyson stated seriously.

Well, apparently things _could_ get worse.

The blonde detective scowled rapidly, becoming quick to snap, "This is a bad time for one of your crappy jokes, wolf boy."

"I'm serious. We don't know what sort of breed this Under Fae is. We have to capture it so that we can have Lauren run some tests on it, for future reference. It would be helpful if we knew it's weaknesses, or the quickest way to kill it."

"How about lead... to the head?" Tamsin thought that she would state the obvious as she indicated to the handgun holstered by her belt. And yes, she even rhymed, for an added effect. "If the doctor wants to run some tests then she should be out here on the frontlines with us."

With how aggressive she had gotten, Bo made an intervention, standing between Tamsin and Dyson before they ended up getting into some valkyrie-on-wolf showdown. "That's enough, you two." She looked from one detective and to the next. "If possible, we will try to bring it back alive. Although, if it's kill or be killed, I can't promise that this Fae will live."

"Oh come on, this is the shittiest idea of all shitty ideas." Tamsin wasn't quite on board with this. "This Fae flays people - as in strips the skin off - and you want to try and take it back alive? Am I the only one with, oh, what's is called... common sense!?"

"Tamsin, if Lauren can just run a few tests on this thing when it's alive then we will know how to deal with any more of it's kind. We won't be running in blind to fight an enemy." Dyson attempted to explain again, although he could see that the blonde was already storming away off to the exit of the office. He understood her perspective, but it was a difficult situation. Science had been an important part of discovering more about what Fae were capable of. Doctor Lewis had been an asset in her field where that was concerned.

Bo sighed and shook her head, running her fingers through her hair, she reckoned she had her hands full with the blonde, "We will do what we can." She promised as she began to walk backwards to the door, "be careful you two. And Dyson, I'm counting on you to keep Kenzi safe." Her voice was calm, yet serious all the same. When she had received an assuring smile from the male, she nodded her head and left the office, deciding to track down her temperamental partner for this job. Fortunately it didn't take long. The blonde was outside of the building, leaning against her truck with that agitated look on her face.

"Well, that was interesting." The succubus tried to lighten the atmosphere by chuckling, but when it didn't work, she soon cleared her throat and came to stand in front of Tamsin. "Look, I know that this plan seems pretty-"

"Crap? Foolish? Disasterous? Unbelievably dangerous?"

"I was going to say unusual, but you were close." Bo continued her attempts to smile as though she clutched to a strand of hope that she and the blonde wouldn't be at each other's throats throughout the time they were going to spend together.

Tamsin was aware of what the brunette was trying to accomplish, but her mood couldn't be swayed by a pretty smile. Pretty, jesus, there she went again, thinking of Bo as something more than just irritating. "This isn't a game, succubitch. If this Fae tries to rip you up as badly as it did last night then I'm going to bury it so far in the ground that it will be able to shake Lucifer's hand." With that, she planned on getting into the vehicle, but something stopped her. She realized that other female had grabbed a hold of her arm.

"You mean to say that you would go out of your way to protect me?" Bo's voice was curious as she attempted to gauge just how serious the valkyrie had been with what she had said. Ironically, the brunette couldn't ever recall when someone had given her such a sense of security. Was it foolish of her to believe that Tamsin could keep her safer than anyone else ever would be able to? She wasn't sure, but it was definitely the vibe that she had picked up on.

No response was given from the detective for a few seconds, she basked in her own silence as if she was waiting for the answer to be delivered to her. With her delay, she could feel Bo's thumb beginning to brush lightly against her arm. It was oddly soothing.

When Tamsin glanced across to meet the succubus' gaze, her eyes said, '_Of course I'd protect you_', but her lips said, "Don't read into this too much, I just want to kill the damn Fae so that the drinks will be on Dyson tonight." Hauling her arm back to herself she opened the door to the truck and slid into the driver's seat. "Lets get going, Bo. This town isn't going to save itself."

The succubus was stunned, certain that she had seen a little bit of... selflessness in Tamsin. Just a little bit. But it had come and gone so quickly that she must have imagined it. She was stuck on the thought as she approached the passenger's side of the vehicle and when she entered, she inhaled slowly. "Okay, I'm ready."

Truthfully, she had no idea what the rest of this day was going to be like, she wanted to talk about what she and Tamsin had experienced yesterday, but she hadn't been given the best chance to do so yet. Her thoughts had been on the blonde more than she cared to admit to herself. And from what she could tell, the valkyrie was as impossible to read as always. A blank book would have given more answers than the female next to her. The only good thing about this mission was that, in her own way, she planned on trying to discover more about Tamsin.  
Any knowledge she gained would be knowledge that she'd never forget.

* * *

First of all, apologies if I rambled on way too much in that part, but I'm enjoying writing the frustration/uncertainty between Bo and Tamsin. The next chapter will focus on our two girls. But if they fight this Under Fae, will Tamsin play good cop and try to take it in, alive? Or is she just going to take the law into her own hands and send it down the highway to hell? Who knows... who knows. xD

I hope you guys look forward to the next chapter, cause I'm gonna have a lot of fun writing it for yah!

(Oh, and since I can't reply to all of your lovely reviews through private messaging, I thought I'd do so down here, I don't want you to think I've ignored you after all, because you all rock! xD )

_TheJojo99_ - Why thank you so much, I have to agree, my mind has been swayed over to Team Valkubus. I like the chemistry that exists when Bo and Tamsin are together! xD

_shannon1419_ - I certainly shall my dear, I certainly shall!

_FlipChick23_ - Merci beaucoup. :3

_gast1234_ - Ah, well I couldn't have you crying now, could I? Therefore I shall write my heart out for you. x'D

_Nyata_ - You betcha'! :')

_ThomasinaL_ - I couldn't agree more, Tamsin seems to have a lot of defenses about her, and she has been frustrated with Bo since the very start. ;D

_gardenhead904_ - Awh, thank you, it's always fantastic to hear an opinion from someone who has their own views on Valkubus. And that's a good question, it would be easy to put Tamsin in to the 'love' angle of things, and I believe that she could cherish Bo above everything else. But at the same time, Bo worked so hard to be with Lauren, so I doubt she'll just end things that easily. I foresee a lot of angst in the future between the three, my friend. x3

_rita8miron_ - Oh, bless you, thank you very much. That was very lovely of you to say. [':

_Guest(s)_ - Thank you both, I appreciate the compliments. And if you are happy reading my work then I will gladly continue. I too love Tamsin's snarky attitude, I can't get enough of writing it. ^^

_Shelby09_ - Then continue I shall, darling. Thanks so much for the support, it means a lot! :'3

_neffitit_i - It appears as though a lot are in favor, so I'll write more and more... and more. *High five*

_Hero19_ - Those damn hickeys, they just cause so many problems, don't they? But let me tell you, there will be many more to come but the time I'm through with this. ;)


	3. Stuck In Your Ways

"You laugh when we are kissing.

You laugh when I'm afraid.

You're angry when I'm sweet.

You're angry over nothing."

- Having Part Of You, _Vast_

* * *

It must have been all of about six minutes since the station had been left behind so that the other side of town could be reached, and neither one of the females had said anything relevant. It was a painfully quiet atmosphere inside of the vehicle - as though they both had the same thing on their mind, but neither were willing to bring it into discussion. Tamsin sure as hell wasn't going to kickstart a conversation that she would rather evade altogether. Her fingers were patting lightly against the top of the steering wheel while she kept her gaze straight ahead, because quite frankly, she didn't want to look elsewhere just now. Being stuck with Bo like this was just Sod's law. A person's luck shouldn't have been this ironic, but out of everyone in this world, fate just had to choose the valkyrie.

"It occurs to me that half of the fun is driving with music." Eventually the blonde had said random words, and though it was an off-hand statement, at least it was something. Her eyebrows knitted in thought as she brought her index finger to the integrated cd player. She pressed the power button and then awaited for whatever track was last playing to pick up from where it left off.

And just as it had synced in, Bo reached her own hand out and pressed the same button in order to turn it back off. It earned her a quick scowl from the driver, but she soon explained her reasons. "I think it would be better if we talked."

"I don't." Tamsin ignored what the brunette wanted and merely attempted to repeat her earlier action of erasing the silence through music. She was a second away from switching the built in stereo back on, but before she got the chance she was surprised to find that Bo had taken a hold of her hand; stopping her.

"Tamsin." The succubus sighed in a light frustration over the way that the valkyrie was trying to dodge the dreaded subject like it was a bullet.

"Stop being childish about this."

"Childish!?" Growling through her response, the detective was finding that her temper was boiling already. Not that it took much. "Oh, that is cheap coming from the same woman who was kicking me under the table."

"Yes, well it served you right for the way you were ignoring me. A ghost would have felt more welcome."

"...it would be more bearable." Tamsin mumbled to herself as she tried to focus on making the correct turning points with the vehicle. She tugged her hand back to herself so it could rejoin the other on the wheel; however she took note of how her skin had warmed from the heat off of Bo's touch. Driving was stressful when she had a passenger that she didn't get along with. If it were anyone other than the succubus, she'd have kicked them out the vehicle a long time ago.

"You see, there you go again." Bo threw her hands up in exasperation, "I try to talk with you and you end up becoming bitter about it."

The valkyrie was rolling her eyes so much that she had to be careful that she didn't actually stare away from the road for too long. "Then maybe you should stop talking, it'll save us both the hassle."

So, that was it? The two of them were bickering with each other already? It was less than ten minutes since that had left the station. Dyson and Kenzi probably got the lucky end of the deal by pairing up with one another this time. The succubus and the valkyrie always clashed like fire against ice. Anyone caught in the crossfire would sooner want to dive into a lake of infested alligators. It'd be more merciful.

Bo was seething angrily in her seat; tense in her posture and gritting her teeth. She hadn't imagined that it was possible for someone to make her yearn for the happy days of 'frustration' and 'tension', because, quite frankly, there was no word created for how much the blonde pushed her buttons - in all the wrong ways. She had so many replies just wanting to burst free from her lips, but she couldn't settle on which one sounded best so she kept quiet. Instead, she began to tap her foot against the car floor to distract herself.

However, she wasn't the only one that it was distracting. The repetitive noise alone was beginning to make Tamsin's eyes narrow. She tried to just let it go, but as always, she failed very quickly and resorted to taking a blunt approach. "What the hell are you doing?"

The abrupt and unexpected question caused the succubus to frown, confused. "I'm not doing anything."

"No, you're fidgeting, and it's getting on my nerves. So stop it."

"I wouldn't have to fidget if you would just talk with me." Bo said in a sing-song voice, as though she was trying to make a bargain that the blonde couldn't refuse.

"You're just not going to let this go, are you?"

"I'm sure a detective such as yourself can figure that answer out."

"...christ." The blonde was running through every obscenity in her head as she realized that she was going to be continuously nagged until she gave the succubus what she wanted. She shook her head as she decelerated the vehicle. Luckily they had just reached the outskirts of the town where their search would take place. At one side there was a forest, and at the other, some desolate looking buildings. Basically, the run-down area. However, it was still broad daylight so the chances of running into human low lives was lessened considerably. As the truck was pulled to a parking position at the side of the road - under the shade of a few tall trees - Tamsin turned the engine off. She slouched back in the chair, saying nothing more. If this was to be a discussion, she would let the brunette take the reigns.

Bo had to admit that she was surprised by the blonde's eventual compliance, she undone the seatbelt and twisted around in the chair so that she could face the stubborn driver. "Look, it's no secret that we both have a lot of tension around each other... and I think a large part of that is because we don't take the chance to talk. And right now would be a good time."

"Later would be better." Tamsin wore a wry smirk as she glanced out of the front window, avoiding eye contact. "We've got a job to do after all."

"Five minutes of your life, Tamsin. That's all I'm asking for." The succubus became insistent as she took a hold of the valkyrie's forearm. She then rolled her burgundy-colored sleeve back until she had a perfect sight of her wristwatch, "and if it bothers you that much then I'll even time it on your watch, for five minutes."

The detective couldn't help but observe the way that the brunette was trying to figure out how to work the wristwatch. It was cute. And when she had gotten the hang of it, she wore a triumphant smile which was even more adorable. Tamsin allowed Bo to keep a hold onto her forearm, unconsciously.

"So, what _do_ you want to talk about?" The valkyrie asked, as if she didn't already know what the answer was.

"Well, the idea here is for us to have a normal and honest conversation, without getting on each other's nerves. And I think you know very well that I want to discuss our... encounter... last night." Bo was speaking as though she was talking to a five year old, but she sounded a bit more optimistic than before. When there was no refusal from the detective, she nodded once and placed her finger to the small button at the side of Tamsin's watch, which would start the countdown of time. "Ready?" She just assumed that the answer would be 'yes' and so pushed down, hearing a small 'beep' to signal that the five minutes had started. "Go."

"This is stupid." Tamsin uttered.

Immediately, Bo hit the same button again, hearing a second beep as she paused the timer. "One second? _That_ is our personal best?"

The valkyrie was chewing down on the inside of her cheek, obviously trying with all of her might to contain her amusement over the brunette's reaction. How on earth had the two of them roped themselves into this mess? "I just don't see the point in this. We don't need five minutes. We just need five words. _You, injured. Me, excellent healer._ See, was that so hard?"

She reached down and undone her own belt, in order to give herself freedom to move and also to indicate that she was finished here already.

And yet, Bo only tightened the hold she had around her wrist to express that she wasn't quite prepared to leave things like this. "Why are you so intent on making things impossible?"

"You're like a broken record, you just go on and on and on." Tamsin frowned a little as she made another move to grasp at the door handle, but she only wound up getting herself tugged by the succubus.

"Well I've learned that persistence isn't such a bad quality to have. I know that I used you for a heal, but I just wanted to find out where your mind is at on that. I don't want things to be complicated between us-" Bo paused, tilting her head thoughtfully, "-well, more complicated than usual." She amended her words to something more accurate.

"Define complicated." The valkyrie demanded, raising a curious brow as she haphazardly looked across to the brunette.

"Oh come on, Tamsin, you've been dodging me all morning like I'm the damn plague." Bo chuckled breathlessly, surprised that she even had to explain that part, "I'd say that alone is reason enough that there is more tension between us than usual."

The blonde scoffed and lazed back against the seat, "That's because you have to analyze everything to death. You just try to pick it all apart and search for some prophetic meaning. Sometimes things just happen. There doesn't have to be a deeper reason. You crawled into the damn gym bleeding all over the place, I was hardly going to just sit down and watch you die. Although, given how much you've pestered me this morning it might have been a better alternative."

So, some sort of an answer had been received, although Bo couldn't help the fact that she wasn't fully convinced, sometimes she felt as though she caught small glimpses of a kinder side to the cold valkyrie. The world would believe she was a fool for even thinking along those lines, but it was something she couldn't shake. She spent the next five seconds watching Tamsin - trying to decipher whether to put any weight to her harsh response. "You didn't enjoy yourself then?" She tried another tactic.

"What?" The detective shot her a look that suggested she was caught off guard. "I didn't say that. I'm not a goddamn robot Bo."

"Okay, so you _did_ enjoy it?"

"I didn't come here to be interrogated by a goody-two-shoes succubus in MY own truck!"

The succubus finally felt as though she was gaining an advantaged, even if it came at the cost of having to wind the blonde up, "you seemed to _enjoy_ it."

"I swear to god, if you say the word 'enjoy' like that one more time then this Under Fae won't be the only thing running for it's life." Tamsin was beginning to growl as a warning for the brunette to back off.

Bo could see the hint, but she paid no heed to it, she wanted to try and work this woman out because she was just too hard to read. One minute she was crude and stubborn and the next she was broody and distant. At no point had she ever recalled seeing genuine positivity from the blonde - which was both sad and questionable. "Fine, fine, I'll leave _that_ topic alone for now."

"Shit, you mean there's another one? Give yourself a break, woman. Or even more importantly, give **me** a break."

"Stop being such a wimp, it's just talking. I'm not going to bite... unless you want a matching set." Bo smiled to herself as she nodded her head to indicate to the unblemished side of Tamsin's neck, but when she received an icy glare she knew that she was on thin ice. Her humor obviously wasn't appreciated. "Okay, bad joke."

The two were overcome with another awkward silence - which appeared to happen more often than not. Bo, still had a hold of the valkyrie's wrist, but she trailed her fingers down the flesh so that she could take her hand instead.

Instinctively, the blonde wanted to jolt and jerk away from the soft touch, but she willed herself to give no reaction that the succubus could take advantage of. There were enough unwanted questions coming her way as it was.

"You say that you healed me because of the dire circumstance, but when you helped me find Kenzi...you really picked up the gauntlet. Even the people I'm closest to didn't believe me, but then there was you. Why?" Bo asked, and maybe it was the most important question she had actually brought up in a long time now. Even more vital than everything else she had inquired about until this point. It had been festering on her mind for a long time and now she had a chance to seek the answers.

Tamsin appeared to be stuck, mentally, she hadn't expected that she would have to explain her reasons for assisting the brunette that day. Maybe she didn't fully understand herself, so her eyes moved to the dashboard of the car, darting back and forth at the different dials and gauges in a futile hope that it held an answer. Because she sure as hell didn't. Not right now. The succubus was confusing the issue, famously trying to dig for something more meaningful behind everything that the blonde had done.

Bo raised her hand to the valkyrie's cheek, and as gently as she could, she tilted the blonde's face around so that she could look her in the eyes. Her palm rested lightly against the warm flesh, the pad of her thumb brushing tenderly along the perfect cheekbone beneath. "Why did you help me, Tamsin?"

She refused even so much as one blink, wanting desperately to just draw out something from the valkyrie. But what that 'something' was, she didn't know yet. Judging by the look on the blonde's face, it was as though she wanted to speak but remained silent - like she feared that she would be starting her own execution for spilling some forlorn secret.

As if it was forbidden.

Unthinkable.

Painful.

_Wrong._

It grew even more apparent that the female was worse than a deer caught in headlights, she was visibly tense under the succubus' touch, and furthermore, concerned, when she noticed just how close Bo was to her. They were both looking at each other, neither showing intent to be the first one to break the eye contact. It was vehement. Tamsin despised the brunette for trying to make a dent in her armor like this. She absolutely hated it. And even more than that, she hated the way that she hadn't immediately shoved the caressing hand away from her cheek by now.

Just then, there was a sudden crash which startled both women, pulling them out of whatever trance had caught them both. Tamsin's head snapped forward to where the noise had come from, and to her shock she could see that the bloodied corpse of some unlucky human had crash landed onto the hood of her truck. And in the midst of trying to ignore the fact that she felt as though she could've had a heart attack, she felt the vehicle rock as a second 'thud' was heard. This time, from the roof.

Much like Bo, her eyes glanced upwards and she had a pretty good idea that whatever had dropped the body onto the front was standing right above them. She gave a silent warning for the succubus to keep still next to her by resting her hand lightly upon her thigh.

The brunette's heart was racing faster than she would've liked; she wasn't totally sure whether it was from the sudden startle or the moment prior to it. Not that she could focus on it now however, as in the next second, a brutish claw had burst down threw the roof. Razor nails beginning to swipe violently. Her shoulder would have been shredded if it wasn't for the valkyrie's giving her a sharp push to one side. This wasn't the first time Tamsin had saved her. It was becoming some sad habit.

"Out of the truck." The blonde instructed in a speedy breath, already yanking the handle open at her side so that she could escape from the danger zone. And she was relieved to see that Bo had done the exact same.

Now outside, she was glaring at the clear image of the Under Fae that had left a gaping hole in her beloved vehicle. It looked all boney with greyish skin; a cross between what looked like some sort of horror movie demon and a damn cave dwelling humanoid. It's face was contorted in misshapen ways, such as sunken eyes and a very jutted jaw that was dripping with fresh blood.

"That's our guy." Bo identified the creature to be the same one she had encountered the previous night, she had to admit that it looked much worse in the light of day though.

And that was all Tamsin needed to hear before she reformed back to her usual snidey attitude. "At least he isn't shy." She was trying to figure out the best approach. But her plans were cut short when the creature had lunged straight from the roof of the truck and right at the succubus. Her heart clenched and a look of panic swept across her face for a fleeting moment, but then she saw that Bo had taken a sharp step to the side, narrowly avoiding those lethal nails for a second time.

The brunette pulled out the dagger from her pocket and got into a defensive stance as the enemy regained it's balance. It turned on it's heels and made another swipe for her, although she leaned back in a perfect dodge before she then made a slash forward with the blade; slicing finely into the Fae's chest.

It growled worse than a stray dog before it knocked the brunette back with a blunt hit of it's elbow. Although, afterwards, it still made a determined attempt to keep charging at her - more than likely because it hadn't finished her off last night. Bo was doing pretty good when it came to avoiding the torrent of attacks, but at one point she made a miscalculation in her movement and ended up receiving a vicious strike in her torso. The jagged claws drew blood upon impact and she groaned out, forced to stagger back as she clutched her hand to the newly created wound.

Tamsin, who had to race around the other side of the truck to reach the conflict, wasn't best pleased. She had closed distance on the Fae and raised her leg, giving it a swift roundhouse kick to it's side which jolted it's abnormal body back. She lowered her foot down to the ground quickly and prepared for some sort of rebound. And then it came. The creature, in a rage, dove at her, but she caught both of it's wrists. "Wow, you look even worse up close." She taunted through gritted teeth, feeling the undesirable enemy struggle and push against her to the point where her feet were beginning to skid along the ground.

"Don't tell me you're down after one little cut, succubabe?" Well, her wry ways weren't just aimed purely at the hostile in front of her, but also to the staggered female behind her.

Bo didn't appreciate the comment, seeing as the hit had caused her quite a lot of discomfort. "In your dreams, valkyrie. I just wanted you to get in on some of the fun." She tried to reply unphased, and when she heard the raspy chuckle from the blonde, she figured that she must have commended such a response. The detective had shoved the Fae back - which she found to be astonishing when realizing that Tamsin wasn't even using a weapon. 'Show off', she thought to herself.

"I thought this thing was supposed to be tough?" The valkyrie was perhaps becoming too cocky for her own good as she ducked under an oncoming swipe and rammed her closed fist against the Fae's stomach. She neglected no force, which was typical. It would make a move and she would simply dodge and counter attack. It was a continuous dance that she was the successor at. "Maybe if there was seven or eight of these Under Fae then they might stand a chance. But one? I'm barely even trying."

While she kept the snarling creature's attention on her, she could see that the succubus had worked her way behind it, holding tighter to the dagger in her hand before she thrust it directly into the opponent's shoulder. It shrieked upon impalement and made a sudden turn, scratching it's claw straight along the side of Bo's throat. Non-fatally. However, that didn't deter the fact that both the shock and sudden gush of blood brought the female to a stumbling fall onto her back. She held one hand to her neck, but struggled even further when the Under Fae had pounced atop her. It was now that she found herself in a familiar position, like the night before, so she knew what was coming next. It's ruthless jaws and callous nails were trying to strike at her in a frenzy.

She was certain that she was a goner, but then, out of nowhere, she found that she no longer had a crushing weight upon her.

The valkyrie's reactions were rapid, and she had attempted to haul the creature straight off - but - in doing so, it had spun around and hit her across the cheek with the back of it's hand. The very tip of one of it's claws had left a small cut on the flesh before it began to hobble off in another direction. Fleeing. Trying to clamber it's hands around to the dagger that was sticking out of it's back. Naturally, it was rushing to the forest.

As Bo fought to get her bearings back, partially covered in her own blood, she looked at the static blonde. Tamsin was just standing, doing nothing, apart from staring furiously into space. Although then the brunette laid eyes upon the little trail of blood along her cheek.

The detective had been hit - as in her perfect record was ruined. She had been _hit_. Her jaw became tense as her anger began to boil to the highest point of danger. If looks could kill then everything in the vicinity would have dropped dead. Tamsin slowly dragged her icy glare to the running form of the Under Fae. So, it thought that it was getting away? A sad mistake. "Take this Fae captive my ass." She had mentally decided to kill it the moment it had first injured Bo, but now it was even more of a certainty.

Wow, the succubus hadn't seen the blonde this furious before. Although was it any wonder that one simple hit would set her off? Her arrogant pride was so big that it was amazing that the sun hadn't been eclipsed by now. "Tamsin, the Fae has gained too much distance. And we're not supposed to... to kill it." Bo had fought back up to her feet, but she swayed slightly, keeping her hand held to her neck. She wasn't severely injured as she had been before, although pain was pain. And blood was blood.

The words spoken had gone straight over the valkyrie's head, it would take a miracle to cool her down. She knew that the other female had taken the brunt of some pretty sore attacks, so while she began to storm forward, she made a point of stopping right in front of her. "Just be quick with taking the damn Chi, I need to catch that son of a bitch." Tamsin was hardly capable of waiting for a reaction right now. She was too inconceivably annoyed. Her hands gripped the succubus' jacket and she yanked her straight into her, crushing their lips together with an unrelenting force.

Shocked was an understatement as to how Bo felt, she was captured in the devastating kiss and it was so empowering that she forgot about trying to absorb some Chi and instead ended up trying to shove her tongue into the valkyrie's mouth. Her bloodied hands were running up the front of Tamsin's body, staining the material of her top. And even when she had clutched against her cheeks, she was smudging the crimson along her jaw.

Tamsin granted access to the probing tongue, thrashing against it with her own needy muscle. Three or four seconds of this ravenous contact must have lasted before she yanked harshly on Bo's jacket. And even at that she was starting to pull the succubus in tighter against her. They seemed to be gripping at each other aggressively, although, Tamsin was typically the stronger given that she wasn't in a good mood. Still, the connection was electric and intoxicating.

The brunette was just as drunk in the fierce embrace, groaning in a rough delight when she felt how determined the blonde was to win the war waged between their tongues. Tamsin tasted exactly like how she remembered. Like a winter's kiss, mixed with mentha spicata and an unshackled passion, sent from another world. Oh yes, she wasn't the forbidden fruit. She was more like the unattainable ambrosia that even the gods would kill for. A taste that only addiction could ever look up to, in envy.

Bo's heart was careening to a new high as she eventually broke the searing contact, beginning to draw the potent energy from the blonde. It aired throughout her system, mending her from the inside out just as it did the outside in. The blood had stopped and the pain had even submitted until slight aches remained.

When she had taken enough Chi from the detective, she stopped herself and exhaled one slow breath. Her blue eyes were sparking brightly in fresh new energy. She was staring at the blonde in a way that suggested that she was on the verge of speaking.

And before the chance was awarded, Tamsin had given the succubus a rather strengthened shove backwards. Already she was away off, running after the Under Fae, too stuck on this revenge that she needed to get. Also, she couldn't deal with any more questions as to why she had just launched a kiss on the succubus. It was to heal her, yes. Although they had indulged in each other for longer than had been appropriate before the Chi was even thought of.

As Bo was left to recover from the initial stumble, she was overcome with confusion as she touched her fingers to her own lips. Her mouth still tingled from the aftermath of the kiss. Dyson and Lauren had never left that effect on her before. In actual fact, no lover she had taken had done so. Out of everyone on this planet - why did it have to be the snarky blonde? Was this fate's way of toying with her? She had a girlfriend. A solid figure in her life that she adored; that she loved. So why the hell was she still running her fingers along her lips as though she missed the absence of Tamsin's?

It's just... the valkyrie was a burst of energy, able to just offer her Chi like it was no big deal and then chase down a hostile enemy afterwards? The woman defined stamina. And Bo could only try to imagine what it must have been like fully in a bedroom... _'No, snap yourself out of it. God, this is Tamsin, here. No. No. Bad.'_ She reprimanded herself inside.

She was torn from her thoughts when she heard the sharp echo of a gunshot. Followed by a second. "Oh... shit." Bo's eyes widened. She wasn't worried about the blonde. No, it was the Under Fae that her concerns lay with. The chances of it living after being on the receiving bullets of a hellbent valkyrie were... slim, non-existent really. The brunette rushed away from where she had been standing and began to pursue the same direction that Tamsin had ran off in only minutes ago. Damn it, she knew that the objective of this entire mission would fall to pieces with the blonde here.

She prepared herself for the worst, because it was the only outcome she would ever receive so long as she was working along side her blonde rival.

"Tamsin-" Bo called out when she caught a sight of the woman beginning to walk back towards her; she was holding herself in a much more confident posture now, which only heightened the assumption that those two bullets hadn't missed. "Tell me you didn't..."

The valkyrie simply shrugged her shoulders at the succubus' disapproving words. "The Under Fae's condition is now... irreversible." She gave a strong hint as she slid her gun back into the leather holster around her belt. Her prideful smirk was as strong as ever as she used her thumb to carelessly point over her shoulder to the lifeless body a few yards away. "One in the heart; one in the head."

As she passed by the brunette, she made sure to nudge lightly against her shoulder. "Don't look so glum. The world is just another asshole short, courtesy of moi."

Bo tried not to attach anything significant towards the small contact while the other female walked on by. She clenched her teeth, all of her earlier frustration falling back in. It was hard to imagine the way that she had nearly made a breakthrough with Tamsin in the truck. But then that stupid creature attacked and ruined it all. And then there was the kiss just minutes ago... "Great. Perfect. How am I going to explain this to Lauren? She placed a lot of hope in being able to do some good work here. Her progress could have made life a lot easier."

"Tell her that her boring experiments will have to wait a while." Tamsin replied as she proceeded back to her truck.

"She is my girlfriend!" Bo exclaimed in a small burst of anger as she marched along, "unlike you, I actually have someone in my life that I don't want to let down."

"Be still my heart...oh wait, it is." Sarcasm was just a second nature to the valkyrie, although she did cast a brief grin across her shoulder, scrunching her nose in the way she always did when she needed to add an extra affect to what she was saying. "You might think that love is great and all, but it also hinders you. I'd never worry about letting someone down, because I have nothing to prove."

"Clearly you've never been in love, otherwise you would know how valuable it is."

"Sue me, it's a weakness that I've survived without." The blonde's casual voice was solid proof that she had never succumbed to said emotion. When the two had reached the truck, the unmoving body of the latest victim was still sprawled across the hood. The valkyrie shook her head and made her way to the front of the vehicle. She raised an eyebrow in distaste as she placed her hands against the male's shoulders, nudging his body along until he slumped to the ground instead. "Much better."

By the time she had spun back around, prepared to head to the driver's side, she found that her path was blocked by the succubus. At first she was puzzled, and the confusion only increased when she looked down to find that she brunette's hand was extended outwardly. She tried to figure out why, but she failed.

Bo wore a passive expression as she looked into the blonde's eyes. "Look, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I owe you." She flexed her fingers to indicate for a shake of sorts.

"Don't mention it." Tamsin couldn't have been quicker to try and disregard the gratitude. She felt uncomfortable whenever someone wanted to thank her. Yet, she did take a firm hold onto Bo's hand, giving her the courtesy to acknowledge that her genuine words hadn't been ignored.

"Really, Tamsin, thank you." Bo emphasized as she brushed her thumb along the top of the female's hand. And then after a second she had released the hold and made her way to the passenger's side of the vehicle.

The valkyrie stood for a moment, glancing down to her open palm. She even frowned slightly toward the way that her skin always felt warmer whenever she had contact with the succubus. For the sake of keeping up appearances, she merely cleared her throat and walked around to her side of the vehicle. "Right, lets get out of here." Deciding that there was nothing else to get done, she was back in the driver's seat in record time. "I'll drop you off at the doc's place."

Bo nodded to agree that it was the best idea, but she didn't look forward to explaining to Lauren that the Under Fae was just a part of history now. She stared out of the window next to her, still reflecting on the kiss that Tamsin had sprung on her less than ten minutes ago. It was for feeding purposes, of course, but it ignited something inside of her that she hadn't experienced before. And she wanted to ignore it, so perhaps seeing her girlfriend would be just the remedy that she needed.

It had to be.

* * *

Again, folks, I'm sorry if that dragged on - but never get on the wrong side of Officer Slamsin, right? That Under Fae was a goner from the start. I can't see Lauren being happy with Bo for letting Tamsin do that though. ;D

And p.s, I know I referenced the song at the top - but - Vast, Having Part Of You. Seriously, it speaks Valkubus volumes! I've been listening to it all day while writing this, it's such a beautiful song. I'd recommend anyone to check it out. 3

(Review replies, again. Cause you're all perfect. xD )

_TheJojo99_ - Awh, you're really sweet. Thank you so much! I love that you enjoy this story so much, cause I sure as hell enjoy writing it for yah! Tamsin and Bo certainly have their moments, so lets just hope that Valkubus becomes a proper thing in season 4, right? ;D

_bruubertolo_ - It's always a pleasure to hear from a fellow Valkubus shipper, and thank you, I appreciate your generous words, bless. I'll try to keep up with the good work for you, darling! :'3

_Khrat9_ - Why thank you, and you shall not have to wait long, my friend. I'll make damn sure of that! 3

_Guest _ - Oh my beloved guest, don't you worry, Tamsin might seem very frustrated right now - but she'll have her revenge. We both know how creative Valkyries are after all. ;)

_FlipChick23_ - Hell yeah! I'm enjoying starting to delve into this tension between the girls. xD

_Javlalebb_ - Well, well, you are just far too kind. I'm glad that my Valkubus fic is to your liking my friend. ;D  
I promise to write as frequently as I can, after all, you deserve some Bo and Tamsin adventures to read while we all wait for season 4 to approach. :'3

_theoncomingwind_ - Oh, I'm glad that you noticed. But all things in good time. ;D  
You know Tamsin, she likes to keep people guessing. She is beginning to develop a protectiveness over Bo, but she is going to try everything in her power to disguise it. Alas though, appearances might now hold up forever!

_Valkubuslove_ - Thank you so much! I love you for loving this! :'D  
I appreciate your wonderful words, and I'll be sure to give updates as often as I can. Tamsin would probably kick my ass if I didn't. ;D


	4. Bad Company

"I'm holding a heart, here in my hands.

My own work of art, here where I stand."

- Holding A Heart, _Girl Named Toby._

* * *

The drive it had taken from the outskirts of town to the good doctor's residence hadn't lasted too long. There wasn't a lot of conversation between the two females - if any at all. Tamsin might have mumbled something about the wreckage of her truck, but other than that it was just awkward as always. Bo, on the other hand, was staring out of the window next to her, with a look of hopelessness about her. She was biting down on the tip of her thumb, trying to think of how she was going to approach her girlfriend on the outcome. This mission shouldn't have failed. It a normal circumstance she would have had no trouble in succeeding, but sadly she didn't anticipate how headstrong the valkyrie was. Sure, if either of them had come close to dying then it would have been reasonable to kill the Fae - but the blonde had shot it twice purely because of a simple hit she had taken.

"Here we are." Tamsin broke the silence as she braked the vehicle just outside of the front of said building. Her voice held no nerves whatsoever, no worries, no nothing. Then again, this wasn't her girlfriend so she didn't give a damn about any upcoming drama. "I suppose I'll see you around." She commented, although made it clear that she was just prepared to drop the woman off before she left.

Little did she expect that the succubus wouldn't make it that easy. She shook her head and gripped onto Tamsin's arm, "Oh no, you're coming with me. I'm not the one who couldn't control my temper after all."

Once she was unbelted, she made a point of doing the same for the blonde. They had both been on this mission together, so it was only natural that they both explain themselves together. At least with the valkyrie there then she wouldn't be the only one to ruin the doctor's day with news of non-succession. When the blonde appeared to roll her eyes and comply, but exiting from the driver's side, Bo done the same, closing the passenger door behind her. She sped around to the front and began to walk to the entrance of the house - with the detective sauntering behind her in boredom.

Reaching the door was less of a comfort, "okay, now, we have to remember that Lauren is nice. Lauren is lovely. Lauren is a forgiver." She rambled to herself while raising her hand, such as to give a knock.

"You have to wait for an invitation? Really?" Tamsin was back to rolling her eyes again, "She is your girlfriend isn't she? I doubt she'll mind if you waltz in." As if to prove a point, she brushed past Bo and grasped the handle, turned it, and thoughtlessly walked into the house.

Manners clearly weren't her thing. But was that a surprise? Hardly.

The living area appeared empty so far which caused the valkyrie sighed over dramatically before she called out. "Hey, doc, you home?" Patience was another decent quality that she lacked, and she felt a small whack against her shoulder, no doubt from the disbelieving succubus.

"Remember, you're a guest in this house, try to act a little courteous." Bo warned, giving her index finger an extra prod at the other woman's shoulder to mark her words more clearly. "And don't touch anything." She mumbled as though she was certain that the scientific equipment or expensive ornaments would be liable to break if Tamsin got her hands on them. The succubus walked forward, tilting her head in the direction of the staircase. "Lauren?" She figured that she better make her own voice known, otherwise the situation may have been more uncomfortable.

Steps could be heard from along the hallway upstairs, followed by the doctor's returning voice. "I'll be right down."

And sure enough, sticking to the words, Lauren had came to the staircase, making a speedy descent; as always she had some files in her hands. Her eyes were flickering back and forth from her two visitors and then to the paper. Work was an ever constant part of her life.

Although once she reached the ground floor, she placed it aside onto the countertop and beamed a smile of relief over to the brunette. "Thank goodness you're back, I was worried." She uttered in a sincere tone as she approached Bo, and as if on instinct she placed both hands against her cheeks.

"You're always worried." Bo teased as she unconsciously rested her hands against the doctor's hips, meeting her with an equally as content smile. The two of them were staring at each other in a way that so easily depicted affection.

"Well, when your girlfriend is a succubus, it comes with the territory." The scientific female responded coyly, but her gaze soon flickered to one of questionability when she looked down to notice the way that Bo's clothing was stained in blood. "My god, what happened?"

Finally, there was something that Tamsin could actually take advantage of (because seeing the two all lovey dovey had been making her nauseous) so this was a godsend. "It turns out that your Fae friend doesn't play well with others." She said broadly, folding her arms across her chest. At first she received a look of surprise from Lauren; mainly because it wasn't Dyson or Kenzi who had accompanied her beloved succubus, for a change. "Not that I completely blame it mind you, I can relate." She made a wise-ass crack at the end, offering a brief and bitter smile over to Bo.

Lauren didn't want to ask why her partner's clothes were blood coated yet she had no visible injuries - she was an intelligent enough person to be able to assume that the valkyrie's Chi had been used as a source of healing. And even though the sheer thought made the doctor's envy rise, she was fair minded about it. Tamsin and Bo appeared to hate one another, so in that sense she assumed she had nothing to worry about. It'd have been worse if it was Dyson, right? She drew her gaze back across to her girlfriend. "Well, if I have good news, I think I've developed a way to extract a lot of information from this Under Fae. I've spent the past two hours graphing out a method that I think will-"

Immediately she paused when she noted the sudden look of guilt that crossed Bo's face. "What's wrong?"

"Babe, I don't think that there'll be much use for the science stuff, now that the Fae is dead." The succubus decided to skip all of the 'this and that's' and got to the lucid point.

Initially, she could see that look of shock on the doctor's face, but then she became calm, surprisingly. "You killed it?" She tried to rationalize what she had heard.

Although there was a deft laugh from the side of the room, "I killed it, actually." Tamsin corrected. "It turns out that it isn't compatible with lead."

There was no neat discretion as to how the creature had died, it was always put so bluntly. And even Lauren arched a brow as her attention was drawn across to the proud blonde. Clearly she didn't care about the actions that she had taken, unlike the succubus who was down because she hadn't completed what was asked of her.

"Well, it must have been very life threatening." The doctor, again, attempted to try and see things from a different perspective as she lowered her hands, gliding her fingers down Bo's arms. It was an unconscious action given that her focus was currently on the other blonde.

"Not really." Tamsin shrugged, just having to make the situation more complicated as usual. She had earned herself a pleading glare from the succubus, but she ignored it.

"What do you mean?" Desiring to inquire more about the bleak answers she was receiving, Lauren was casting puzzled glances between the two females, hoping that one would clarify.

Bo looked as though she was prepared to give some well-thought out description of what had gone on in the last half hour, but just as her lips parted to speak, her thoughts were drowned out as the valkyrie uttered another blunt statement. "The son of a bitch hit me."

"And...?" The doctor pressed, assuming there was something more to it than just that.

"And I put it in the ground, for good."

"That's it?"

"That _is_ it, yes."

A silence loomed over the three women. The tension becoming so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Lauren brought her sights across to Bo, as if she was expecting her to tell her that the valkyrie was joking. But a look of despairing truth was all that she found. "You're kidding me?" She was back to casting glances from one woman to the next.

"Nope." Tamsin replied without care.

"So what you're saying is that... you forfeited the entire objective just because the Under Fae got _one_ little hit into you?"

"Wow, maybe you should join the squad of detectives, doc."

Bo's eyes grew wide as she looked at the uptight valkyrie, "Tamsin." She uttered the name in a tone of small scolding; as a parent would do with a mischeivious child. "Look, Lauren..." Sighing, she placed all of her attention back onto her girlfriend, bringing her hand to rub along her arm. "I know that we screwed up-"

"Oh come on." Tamsin scoffed and reeled her head back along with a perfect eye roll. She watched the roof in exasperation before continuing, "We didn't screw up. What is with you people? You don't capture enemies - you **kill** them. It's a basic principle."

"And you don't look at the bigger picture, you can't see anything further than the barrel of your gun." Lauren rebuked as she took a pace or two to the side, bringing her fingers up to run through her hair. The past two hours of stressful work had amounted to nothing due to the valkyrie's pride. "Killing is a basic principle to you, but intelligence is much more advantageous. Had you ignored your own arrogance and done the job properly I could have studied this Fae and stored the information so that we would know exactly what we were dealing with."

"I done my job. The damn thing didn't have 'advantageous intelligence' when I came face to face with a bullet." Tamsin was trying to keep her cool, but it wasn't working.

Lauren was becoming equally as frustrated to find that she was talking to someone who appeared to possess a one-track mind. "Say there is more than one, and you don't have your gun next time, what then?"

"I'm undefeated, unlike humans I can handle myself. Gun or not, I'd never embarrass myself by letting some ghoulish creature get the better of me."

It took a second for Bo to realize that the valkyrie was discreetly taking a dig at her, "Hey!" She made a small exclamation. Between the two, she had to try and act as a voice of reason. She was standing in the middle, seeing that the two blondes were having a stare off. Lauren was frowning. Tamsin was smirking. Go, figure. "You know, one day we are all going to laugh about this-" Her attempts at breaking the stressful atmosphere through chuckle were cut down when her girlfriend spoke again, directly to Tamsin.

"You're undefeated? Try to be serious." Lauren chuckled breathlessly.

"I'm being realistic." The valkyrie countered, narrowing her gaze dangerously. "It seems to have escaped your notice, so let me remind you, I don't work for anyone. I'm not a servant to another." She began to emphasize on a few syllables of her sentence as she leaned forward, scrunching her nose. "I'm not weak enough to be _owned_."

The insult appeared to hit home somewhere - because Lauren's frown had become an offended scowl.

Bo swallowed a small lump back before she raised her hand to press lightly against Tamsin's chest. "Hey, I think you've done enough today." Maybe she was becoming protective over the virtuous doctor. Not just because she was her girlfriend, but because it was daunting for a human to have a naturally aggressive valkyrie talking her down. She could feel the steady heartbeat under her palm, which only proved that none of this really weighed on the blonde. In that light, the succubus supposed she was surprised that she could actually feel a heart in the first place. She was pressing her fingers forward a little, tipping her head to indicate to the door.

As much fun as it was to torment this subject, Tamsin ended up frowning slightly now that Bo's hand was against her chest, ushering her to the door. 'She always has to spoil the fun', the blonde thought to herself as she took a step back. "Fine. I have better things to do, anyway... like fixing the lovely hole that our friend left in my truck." Amazingly enough, she did pull herself away, sparing one small glance to the succubus. But it had come and gone so quickly that it could've been missed in the blink of an eye. She made her way to the exit of the house, holding her head high as though she hadn't suffered anything even remotely close to a loss today. "C'ya around, doctor Lewis." She spoke through a sultry voice that could only be considered a taunt before leaving the building. Surprisingly, she didn't actually slam the door on her way out either.

Now that the two were left alone, Bo was thankful that she could focus fully on someone other than the valkyrie. She spun back around and approached her girlfriend, slipping her arms around her waist once the distance was closed. "I'm sorry about that, Tamsin doesn't get along with anyone. Don't take it personally." She wanted to reassure the other woman as so began to stroke her fingers along her lower back.

"I don't think she gets along with _anything_, actually." The doctor remarked in a low voice, still trying to forget about the harsh insult she had received in regards to freedom.

"Well, that is her loss, because I can't see why a person wouldn't want to get along with you." Bo smiled as she leaned inward, placing a soft kiss to Lauren's lips. And she was even happier to feel that it had been welcomed. Yet, a constant thought tugged at the corner of her mind. _'She tastes so different to Tamsin...'_, it wasn't her intention to compare the contact, but it just happened. The valkyrie was mysterious and overwhelming, whereas the doctor was safe and familiar.

As the small embrace came to an end, Lauren tried to match a similar smile, although hers happened to sport more confusion. "Can I ask you something?" Waiting only a moment, she knew that there would be no major problems with her curiosity and so she continued, "why didn't you stop Tamsin from shooting the Under Fae?"

An awkward question was the last thing that Bo had wanted, and this happened to fall straight into the category. She couldn't exactly say that she was too captivated by her kiss with Tamsin that she completely forgot to chase after her... no, that would be wrong. So wrong. As much as she hated to tell something other than the truth, she believed it would be better to spare the good doctor's feelings this time around. "The creature was trying to escape and I was injured, so naturally she just raced right ahead to deal with it herself." Her words were semi-honest, but she just left out a few of the details.

"I'm just sorry that you got stuck with her, I imagine she's quite the nightmare." The doctor appeared to have accepted the small story she had been given, which was better for her own sake.

The succubus kept wearing a faint smile as she shook her head, "Oh, she's not so bad."

"Not so bad? Honey, it's thanks to her that all of my work for the past few hours was a waste of time."

"I know, she's just stuck in her ways, that's all, but she has proven herself."

"She helped you save Kenzi, once. That doesn't exactly make her reliable material." Lauren was beginning to turn to her lecturing ways, "I'm surprised that you'd even want to defend her given that not so long ago she was striving to throw you behind bars."

Bo's content expression had soon shifted so that she was frowning, slightly. "Kenzi is like a sister to me, she would have died if it wasn't for Tamsin, since no one else was willing to believe me."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say it sounds like you are still holding a grudge against that." Lauren had now disconnected herself from all contact with the brunette, taking a step back to create some needed space between them.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that-"

"Then how did you mean it? Please, enlighten me." Apparently the scientific female had become more defensive with her words, but her mood had already been riled by Tamsin and now that her own girlfriend was trying to redeem her, it was just an unwanted strain.

"I just believe in giving second chances, Tamsin pulled through for me when no one else did. I don't hold a grudge, I didn't intend for it to come across like that-"

"Bo, her ethics are all wrong. She has no moral compass. She is _bad_ company. Why can't you see that? I know you like to think that there is good in everyone, but sometimes people fall short."

The oncoming scolding made the succubus feel as though she was naive and she didn't enjoy having such an emotion thrust upon her. She was selfless, she knew that the valkyrie would never set out to do her harm - didn't that earn her some credit? Before Bo could even stop herself, she was blurting out the first words that sprung in her mind. "You're not exactly an open book yourself."

Immediately after she had spoken, she regretted it, her lips drawing into a thin line as she witnessed the new form of shock that had washed over her girlfriend's face. She had lashed out and it was a mistake.

"Lauren, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Her words were dismissed as the doctor merely waved her hands in defeat and stormed over to the nearest counter where some of her work lay.

"You seem to be saying that a lot today." Lauren's voice was suggesting that she was more or less agitated. "I think it would be best if you went home Bo, you should get yourself cleaned up."

"I wasn't trying to upset you, but you have to understand that-"

"Bo, please, just go." The doctor asserted a second time, hurt that she had to do so in the first place, but it seemed easier to avoid a tense situation than to take it front on. She knew that she was distressing the succubus - and that wasn't what she wanted - but it was very difficult for someone to sway from an angry mind set. Right now she found it best to have space.

The brunette was left standing, hopelessly, the fact that the woman didn't even turn to face her cut through her like a knife. Her lips parted, but no words escaped. With a painful reluctance she made her way to the door, each step more sorrowful than the last. This day had been a disaster from the start and now she was being asked to leave? By her own girlfriend? Her mood had sunk to an all new low. When reaching the door, she cast one glance over in a prayer that she might be asked to stay, but when the offer didn't suddenly come, she forced herself to leave from the building, in more of a dreadful mood than when she had first entered.

* * *

By the time it had taken the disheartened succubus to walk home, her mind wasn't in a very good place. As needy as it may have been, she did leave Lauren a message or two during the journey, but there had been no reply. It made her feel ten times as worse. "Kenzi, are you back yet?" She called out as she stepped over the threshold and into the house. When there was no answer, she reckoned that she was alone and so she huffed out a small sigh and made her way directly to the bathroom. As it just so happened, the doctor had a point, she could do with a fresher change in appearance seeing as how her clothes were tattered and torn - not to forget blood stained. She was in the process of removing them, one article at a time, starting with her jacket and ending with her undergarments. She made a point of placing the ruined clothes on top of the counter in the bathroom and then she approached the shower and turned the small handle until water started to sprinkle out. The temperature was automatically set to warm, so she was able to step in within the first few seconds. Her hair and body was instantly soaked and she closed her eyes, willing herself to forget the troubles of the day. It wasn't working though. She thought about Lauren and despite herself, she also thought about Tamsin. The valkyrie was an enigmatic parable which she hadn't and couldn't discover the meaning of.

She devoted a good ten minutes in the same area, letting the water cascade down her, washing away the dried blood until pristine flesh remained beneath. It made her feel new again, but even the greatest of showers couldn't rinse away the problems that lay inside of her head. The relationship she had cherished most was inadvertently strained and she didn't have her best friend here right now for a heart-to-heart on the matter. She had been lonely before, but right now she just felt pathetic. And the sure way to cure ill feelings was to drown her sorrows. The liquor cabinet downstairs was stocked and it was a better alternative to indulge in it compared to mulling in her own concerns for the remainder of the day.

So, as soon as the shower had performed it's use, the succubus turned off the tap and stepped onto the bathroom floor again. Grasping a towel from the rack next to her, she wrapped it around her body, firmly, making sure that it wouldn't slip. With a heavy sigh she departed into the hallway and wandered along to her bedroom so that she could get something more comfortable to wear. The set of wooden drawers were next to the door, making it easy for her to grasp out a set of undergarments; that being a black bra and matching panties. Bo placed the damp towel carelessly onto the armchair next to her as she focused on selecting a random pair of jeans and a blouse to match. She wasn't concerned with what she wore right now, so she just adjusted the clothing onto her body and strolled back down the empty hallway so that she could reach the kitchen. A glance to the clock confirmed that it was already progressing later into the afternoon, so it certainly wasn't too early for her to let herself go for the rest of the evening. Hours could go by and she wouldn't care, because as soon as she was downstairs and had reached for that first bottle of beer, she didn't plan on going back.

* * *

"Three hundred dollars? Seriously?" Tamsin's voice was irritated as usual as she stood opposite from the local mechanical garage. "Just to fix a small hole?" Her hands were resting firmly against her hips as she glared at the middle aged man across from her, as though his price for fixing the damage to her truck was a total rip-off. And when she received a nod of confirmation, she looked even more annoyed. "Fine. Fine. _Fine_." The only reason that she was accepting what she had been told was simply because she valued her vehicle quite highly and she'd rather have it fixed than not. _'This is all thanks to that damn succubus.'_ In her thoughts she was quick to place the blame onto Bo. The valkyrie lowered her hand to rummage for her wallet inside of her pocket, but she suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes.

The male was confused as to her sudden pause at first, but he didn't question it, especially not when she had decided to explain her actions, "I'll tell you what, you will get paid after you've fixed my truck. I don't want to take the chance and have you screwing it up."

Already the mechanic was beginning to shake his head sternly. "That isn't how our policy works, ma'am."

Tamsin was in no mood to debate so she frowned a little sterner than before and grasped the man by the collar of his shirt. "Look pal, I've had a long day. Long days make me tired. Tiredness makes me angry. Anger makes me liable to become very aggressive. Do you see where I'm going with this?" She was giving a blatant threat and she made that known by tightening her hold until her knuckles had become white. "So, what do you put more belief in? Your policy? Or my aggression? Think carefully."

Given that the worker had gulped and had turned as pale as a ghost, he seemed to have got the message. "I suppose I can do the job before payment, just this once." His answer was hardly strong as it should have been for a man, but it was honest nonetheless.

"Good answer." The valkyire released her hold and then turned around, beginning to walk out of the garage. "I'll drop by at some point tomorrow, don't let me down." Her words weren't as threatening this time, but the man would be stupid to do anything less than a perfect job. She made no move to look back and proceeded along the pavement. It had taken a while for her to discuss what had to be done to repair the vehicle, and also, she had found that she had no option left other than to book a room in some cheap motel for the night. It wasn't the first time she had done so, but there were occasions that it just had to do. However, she wasn't retiring for the evening straight away. No, her footsteps, for the next two minutes, had led her straight to The Dal and she couldn't have been more motivated to enter the building in hopes of finding Dyson. The two often shared drinks after a long day.

Her eyes searched around, ignoring most of the other patrons in search for her partner, but when she saw that he wasn't by the bar she resorted to giving a small pout. So, she was going solo tonight? That was no fun at all, but she approached the wooden counters at the back all the same and took a seat upon the usual wooden stool that she had come to favor above the rest. And when seeing a familiar face, her brow hitched, a smirk crossing her lips. "Trick, you look positively... the same, this evening." What could have started as a compliment just soared straight down into the depths of a snide remark.

The male wasn't best pleased at first but he did have a look of strange concern on his face, "It's a good thing that you're here actually, Tamsin." He said, his voice one of reliance.

"Wow, wow, slow down little man. What are you talking about?" The valkyrie's curiosity had been piqued, and the amused grin never faded from her lips.

"Well-" Trick had proceeded to answer but another voice had cut him off.

"Hey Tammy!"

The familiar voice caused the blonde to cast an instantaneous glance across her shoulder and to her surprise, she saw that the succubus was stood over by one of the pool tables; drink in hand and slouching slightly against the wall. She looked pretty inebriated with the way that she could hardly keep herself balanced. And her words had been far too cheery.

"-that's what I'm talking about." The male managed to reach his conclusion, "she stumbled in here about ten minutes ago. I can't reach Dyson, or Lauren for that matter."

Well, this was quite the turn of events. The valkyrie was partially listening to Trick's words due to her being rather shocked to find a drunken Bo in The Dal. Wasn't she supposed to be with her girlfriend? Plans must have changed. "She's not my problem." Tamsin dismissed the idea of her being in any form of responsibility, which earned her a solid frown from the male behind the counter. Yet, she was contradicting herself so early on as she noticed that there were a couple of men by the succubus; their body language showing strong vibes of flirtation and indecent thoughts. For an unidentifiable reason, it irked the blonde and so she decided upon putting a stop to it through a passive tactic. "Hey, succubus, how about you come over here and I'll buy you another drink?"

The offer of a free alcoholic beverage had paid off just as simply as she had predicted, she was now watching the less refined stagger that Bo had to work through to get from the pools tables to the counter. On her lips, she wore a tired and euphoric smile. "You're so good to me Tam-Tam." The brunette chimed merrily.

"Wow, you really _are_ drunk, aren't you?" Tamsin gave a humored smirk before she tilted her head, "pull up a stool, I've found that these are the best seats in the house."

She was about to signal Trick over for a couple of drinks, but she became otherwise occupied when she found that Bo had suddenly sat on her lap. The valkyrie shot a look of confusion forward, and she could only see that same happy smile across the other female's face.

"_This_ is the best seat in the house." The succubus made a correction as she draped her arms lazily around the blonde's neck. As usual, she could feel that Tamsin had become instantly tense, which she found to be quite cute.

"I can't argue with that." Tamsin replied, vainly, but she was slightly unfocused with the way that she had her hands full with the brunette - literally. She had to rest her fingers against Bo's waist to make sure that she didn't end up slipping, given that she was barely co-ordinated right now. "But this seat just happens to be off-limits to everyone, so scoot."

"Oh, I'm sure you can make an exception this one time, officer lady." Bo slurred as she trailed her left hand down to Tamsin's shoulder; her fingertips running lower down the front of her torso, gripping lightly against her top. "How long has it been since you touched me?"

"What!?" The blonde wasn't prepared for such an abrupt question, she was already trying to ignore the way that the succubus had a hold around her, so she didn't need to contend with more interrogations. God, even when drunk, the succubus never gave up the ghost. "I _healed_ you last night. Just last night." She composed herself and gave an accurate answer, hoping that would end things.

"Ugh, it feels like a lifetime ago." Bo groaned and pouted worse than a child as she took a hold of one of the valkyrie's hands, guiding it upwards and into view for them both to see. "These fingers were made to please me." Her eyelids were heavier now, her voice seeming to possess some form of desire to it. She took the blonde's index finger into her mouth, sucking softly as she brushed her warm tongue against the flesh.

Tamsin felt as though her jaw was about to drop. She just sat and stared, dumbfounded and regrettably aroused. Bo had shown herself to be more forward when drunk, but even behind the seducing demeanor that she was putting up, there was an element of sadness to her. It was nearly impossible to read, but when you were as skillful as the valkyrie was, it was the easiest thing to see. "Bo..." The blonde had wanted to say more, but she actually couldn't think of what to utter, not when the brunette was beginning to give little moans as she continued to suck against her finger.

By now she was quite sure that some people had probably cast glances at what was going on, which didn't help. And it hadn't taken long until Trick had cleared his throat from behind the bar. "Bo, I think it's about time you call it a night." He said; his voice stern but responsible. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he could certainly see that Tamsin was so tense in her posture that she looked like a glass statue that would break in one wrong move.

The succubus had released the blonde's finger with a small 'pop' before she gave a dissatisfied grunt, "Don't cockblock me gramps."

Given how blunt the response had been, the valkyrie quickly glanced down, clearly trying not to laugh. She didn't know why she found it so amusing, but this just wasn't how Bo usually acted; especially around her own relations. Although, when Tamsin actually caught onto what the female had said, she shot a look back up, "Wait, what?"

Bo was now ignoring Trick's presence as she tried to press herself in closer to the blonde. Tamsin had to focus on keeping the damn stool balanced as she tried to lean back for some sane space. "You're just the cutest thing when you don't know what to do." The succubus was grinning as she began to purse her lips.

_'Shit, is she going to kiss me!? HERE!? In front of her own grandfather!?'_ Tamsin's thoughts were going haywire as she saw how close those damnable tempting lips were coming. She knew that her worries were manifesting because of her likeliness to reciprocate. Her heart was thrashing heavily into her ribcage.

"BO." Trick exclaimed louder this time, hitting his hand down onto the counter firmly, in order to snap the brunette out of trying to initiate some explicit scene right in front of his own eyes and the eyes of some very wealthy customers. He didn't want to be embarrassed by his granddaughter's drunken antics with the valkyrie. "That does it, I'll try to call Lauren again." He had given up hope as he reached for the phone behind him.

"No!" The succubus lashed out as she cast a sharp glare across to the male. "Don't call her. I've already pissed her off today, she was mean. She told me to leave." Bo had resorted to acting worse than a small schoolgirl who didn't get what she wanted.

The truth of the matter was finally out now though, _'So, she is only throwing herself at me because she's at odds with her girl? I thought as much.'_ Tamsin told herself. Was it fair to say that it annoyed her? She didn't want to be some one-off rebound. Even though she carried herself with her unethical ways, she didn't lower herself to those kind of standards. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Well, I think it's about time that I call it a night." She gave Bo a careful nudge off from her lap and then stood up.

"What? Why?" The succubus' bottom lip was protruding in a small pout as she looked up at the other female. "Is Trick bothering you? We can send him away. He's bothering me too."

"Charming." The male said through a disapproving headshake.

Tamsin's eyebrow raised finely and she shrugged her shoulders, forcing up her usual smirk of armor. "Nah, I've just got some things to take care of." She didn't explain more than that but made a move to turn around instead.

In a drunken split second panic, Bo clutched against the valkyrie's arm, stopping her from leaving, "Wait." Sounding paranoid and for lack of a better word - helpless - she didn't quite know what to say, but she knew what she wanted. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Well, the succubus had a habit of firing these unforeseen questions, didn't she? The detective was gazing straight back at her, looking as though she had just been given an option of life or death. However, she found that she didn't like seeing the vulnerability in Bo right now - her previous enthusiasm and flirtation had sunk down to a lowly look of depression. It was sad. The valkyrie hated that she could even feel that way toward the situation, but she did.

The lack of an answer frightened the succubus and so she stepped in closer, holding on tighter to the other woman's wrist. "Lauren kicked me out earlier on and Kenzi is still with Dyson. I don't want to face an empty house." She thought that by explaining herself it may help, although she threw the icing on the cake with one added syllable; her last hope. "Please."

_'Crap. Why did she have to say it like that?'_ Tamsin was scolding herself because she knew that - despite popular belief - she did have a heart at the end of the day. "Alright." She consented in one word, and to her own inner defeat... she saw the small smile that had crossed Bo's lips. She hated how it made her feel weak inside. "Lets go." She tipped her head to the door.

Trick would have preferred for someone more trustworthy to take care of the intoxicated brunette, so out of protectiveness he gave a small word of warning. "Tamsin."

"I'll take care of her, calm your blood pressure old man." The valkyrie may have been a little tender around the edges with Bo, but it didn't mean she would act anything less of a bitch to the rest of the world. She reached the exit of The Dal and made sure that the succubus was keeping up with her. "The motel I'm staying in isn't far from here, think you can make the walk?" She gave a playful taunt as she held the door open.

Bo grinned smugly to herself at first, "Just try to keep up with me blondie." She replied strongly, but ironically she stumbled the first few steps and before she ended up falling, she felt that Tamsin was right by her side, wrapping an arm around her waist to give her full support.

"It won't be that hard if you keep falling over the place,", was all the blonde replied with, "come on, lets go home."

Her words held a certain irony in the fact that she didn't really have a home - and also that Bo's usual residence was at the other end of the town. It just came out as a random statement, which she paid no real notice to. In fact, for the next seven or eight minutes of walking, the only thing that she could pay attention to was the constant support that she had to offer. Every couple of steps, Bo would insist that she was able to walk, and then she would end up stumbling. The valkyrie assumed that it would be easier to watch an infant try to toddle, at least progress would be made. With the succubus... it was just damn funny and damn sad all at once. Fortunately, the motel hadn't really been a long walk at all. It saved a lot of trouble and a lot of time. The two females had ascended a staircase, which consisted of the valkyrie pretty much dragged the succubus all the way up. And once they reached the door with the number '57' on engraved on the wall next to it, Tamsin slid her hand into her pocket and took out the small key. She slid it into the lock, twisted around once and heard a 'click'. Typically, she opened the door afterwards and led Bo inside - using her ankle to nudge it closed behind them since both of her arms were full. "Here we are."

The interior was standard; a couch, tv, mini fridge. Nothing that royalty would find themselves in, but it was a place to sleep and that was good enough. There were two other doors near to the back, one which led to the bedroom and the other which led to the bathroom. A very simple layout.

Tamsin had managed to persuade the brunette over to the couch safely, and she guided her down until they were both sitting. "Do you need anything to drink? Or eat? I've got water and chocolate." Okay, so the options weren't much, but it was better than nothing. She didn't think it was a great idea to introduce more alcohol into the situation, even though she wished that she could get herself just as wasted. Somehow she had gone against her own words - and now she was caught in a bind of responsibility.

"No thanks..." Bo tried for a smile, she rested her cheek against the couch so that she could look across to the other female. "Do you always live alone like this, Tammy?"

"Yes." The answer was fairly straight forward from the blonde.

"Why?"

"Because, I prefer it. I wouldn't like the everyday bothers of sharing my personal space with someone else. I'm a creature of habit, it's better like this."

"Doesn't it ever sadden you? Don't you ever want a boyfriend... or a girlfriend?" The succubus was asking her usual set of queries. Surprise, surprise.

"I've already told you, I find that it's easier to survive alone. I don't want the complications of affection and love." Tamsin could have stated that Bo and Lauren were a clear example of a mess she'd rather avoid, but she didn't bother.

The succubus propped herself up further on the couch, bringing her legs up to a more comfortable position. "That's good, I don't know if I'd like to see you with some other man or woman." She scrunched her nose, speaking her words through a voice of honest bafflement. "It wouldn't be right."

"Interesting words coming from the succubus who is attached and banging a doctor." Tamsin wasn't sure what to make of these confusing confessions. It sounded as though Bo didn't want her to have a relationship with anyone. Was that due to jealousy? No, it couldn't be, could it? What on earth would the brunette have to be envious of? They barely got along with each other as it was. Again, this was a conversation of messiness and disorder.

"I'm not banging her tonight." Bo pointed out, but she had become visibly sadder at the mention of Lauren. "I miss her."

"I know you do." The valkyrie sighed as she leaned back further into the sofa. She was preparing herself to be a shoulder to cry on in the near future. "What did the two of you argue about anyway?"

"You."

This was about the dozenth time that Tamsin had become surprised. "Me?"

"Yes." Bo confirmed through a heavy breath. "She pretty much said that you weren't worth a dime of trust... and I said she was wrong, then she said that I was too naive, and I said that you've probably got some good in you...somewhere." The succubus was back to her slurring ways again.

"I've gotta say, I'm with the doc on this one." Tamsin's lips drew into their usual grin as she tilted her head so that her eyes landed on Bo. "I'm not the hero, succubus. I don't try to be and I never will. I am not a good person." She tried to clarify, maybe out of stubbornness or even out of the truth.

Bo's expression turned to one of defeat, but it was followed shortly by determination as she crawled forward. When close enough, she hugged around one of Tamsin's arms, "you're good to me."

"Like I said, you're drunk right now. You're confusing yourself sunshine. You're just upset over your disagreement with Lauren."

"My disagreement with her is your fault, because you had to run off, guns blazing." Bo gave the woman's arm a small squeeze, "And now I'm not even with her. Do you know how difficult it is trying to help everyone? To try and survive one day, only to move onto a new problem the next? It sucks, Tamsin. I have people depending on me and sometimes I feel as though I'm going to break under all of this pressure." And it was now that the succubus had become upset, her voice cracking up slightly and her eyes glimmering over in tears that were unshed. "I never have anyone to take care of me at the end of the day, how is that fair?"

"Sometimes people are so caught up in their own problems that they are blind to see that those around them suffer just as much. You're too busy trying to fix everyone else all of the time that they all overlook the reassurance you need. You give, and you're strong. People cling to that without actually returning the favor." Well, if ever it was said that Tamsin had existed without an ounce of philosophy and moral understanding, then that assumption had just burned down in flames.

Bo, even inebriated, was taken aback at the way that the usually cold blonde had just taken a hammer of comprehension straight to the problem. "Wow."

It was all she could say.

"Yes, wow." Tamsin rolled her eyes and shrugged, "It's the perks of being a loner. I can see things that others can't. Now as much as I'd love to waste the next few hours listening to your depressing stories, I think you should get some sleep." She was giving a solid hint that she believed this was for Bo's greater good. "You can take the bed."

At the generous offer, the brunette gave a small nod as she unsteadily rose to her feet. She knew that the valkyrie was watching her, should she end up falling, but she didn't. "A bed would be nice." She mumbled randomly to herself as she walked around the side of the couch, straying near to the wall as a means of support to lead her along to the room at the back. She opened the door and made her way inside, uttering a small thank you, although it sounded inaudible through her drunken voice.

Tamsin got the message though and so she gave half a smirk to herself before she settled back onto the couch, stretching her legs out. "If you break anything I'll kick your ass." She called through while she slipped her boots off so that she could afford to give herself a little more comfort. Truth be told, she was used to sleeping on sofas and such, so this wasn't anything new to her. Her eyes remained on the roof for a while as she let Bo's words play through her mind, on an endless loop. Why was the succubus so set on thinking that there was something worth saving about her? The blonde had never met a person who had given a damn before. And then there was the way that the other female had openly stated that she was glad that she wasn't in a relationship with somebody. Maybe the alcohol was just affecting the brunette's judgement. Either way, come tomorrow, she wasn't going to remember any of this. It was probably for the best though.

For the next twenty minutes, the woman's eyes had been closed, her mind beginning to drift elsewhere. She was still laying on her back, deciding to leave the small lamp at the side of the room on. It didn't offer a distracting light, but it avoided complete darkness also. It was a faint comfort, very warming. And it in a way it created a relaxing atmosphere. Something close to security. Either way, it hadn't hindered the valkyrie from trying to catch sleep. The events of the day hadn't been stressful compared to a lot of things that she had done, but it didn't change the fact that she was in need of a decent rest. She could have succumbed to a deeper trance of sleep, yet she began to stir slowly as she heard the sound of footsteps. Call it constant caution, but it was enough to draw her heavy eyes open. Her gaze squinted through the dim lighting and she ended up propping herself up on her elbows, slightly. From what she could see, the succubus had was back in the living area, by the edge of the sofa. "Bo? What're you doing?" The valkyrie asked, she had just assumed that the female would've fallen asleep like a rock with the way she had been hit by the drinks tonight.

There was no verbal answer from the brunette to begin with, mainly because she took it upon herself to crawl onto the couch - and more importantly, on top of Tamsin. The length of her body was resting upon the valkyrie's and she glanced straight down to her. "I told you... I wanted to stay _with_ you tonight." Bo idly combed her fingers through the other female's blonde locks while her gaze swept over her features.

Tamsin was at a complete loss now that she was disrupted from sleep, with the succubus desiring to endure out the night with her here, on the sofa. She felt as if she should have said something, but honestly, as she glanced up to the brunette, it was as though she had fallen under the same spell where she didn't want to see her upset. Because from everything she had gathered tonight, loneliness seemed like a terror to Bo. "Okay." She wouldn't argue, she couldn't. The valkyrie was new to this type of stuff; that being affection. She took gentle actions as she encircled her arms around the succubus' waist, holding her closer so that she didn't have to feel so alone.

Bo was smiling, very slightly, as she nodded and lowered her head so that she could rest her cheek against Tamsin's chest. She closed her eyes and breathed calmly. "Your heart is beating so fast right now." Her words were soft as she moved one of her hands up so that she could trace her fingers along the detective's stomach. She could hear the strong palpitations against her ear. "You're always saving me, aren't you?" With her quiet question, her voice had started to sound much more tired.

"Well, someone has to." The blonde answered coolly, she was a little freaked out to be caught in this type of embrace. Her heartbeat being direct evidence. Yet it warmed her in a way that she had never felt before in any of her lifetimes. "You should really try to get some sleep."

_'Because I'm sure as hell not going to get any.'_ She thought inwardly. As if she was ever going to be able to rest now, not with the way she could feel Bo cuddling in to her as though she was like her last lifeline to this world. Tamsin assumed that the lack of answer meant that the succubus was beginning to drift off, and she tilted her head a little, able to see that Bo's eyes were indeed closed. She looked oddly peaceful now. For the first time - in a long time - it drew a very small, albeit, genuine smile from the valkyrie. She wrapped her arms firmer around the succubus, slowly beginning to stroke her fingers along her back. This was going to be too weird in the morning, but for now, she was just able to fully appreciate that for one night she wasn't on her own. It was nice to be this form of safety for Bo. The woman's heart had been fragile tonight and it was up to her to keep it at a safe harbor. Even if it only occurred a single time in this world, it was...nice. Against her better judgement, Tamsin couldn't help but mumble, "Lauren is a lucky woman."

* * *

Oh, so the Lauren/Tamsin tension certainly exists. I really had a lot of fun writing the moral differences between them, you know, intelligence vs. basic survival instinct. Because both had decent points, but our little valkyrie just makes her own rules. I'd have updated last night but I wanted to give you all some more interaction between Bo and Tamsin. xD

How is our dear succubus gonna react when she awakes to find herself in the arms of the stubborn blonde? Time will tell!

(Reviews! c': )

_TheJojo99_ - I couldn't agree more, to me, they're a perfect match. I love every moment between them. And you're right, the 'real' poetry was brilliant, especially when Tamsin is all, "Coooool." ;D I'll keep the updates coming to you as often as I can, I promise, because there can never be too much Valkubus! :D

_ThomasinaL_ - Bo does have the patience of a saint, doesn't she? And I adore Tamsin's stubborn ways, you're absolutely right, it makes her perfectly appealing. I can't way to see more action from her in season 4! xD

_jaddy_ - Thank you very much! I'm so glad that you think I've done justice to their characters, it really makes it worth while to know that I'm doing things right. And also, as long as yourself and everyone else are happy reading my work, then I'm always more than willing to deliver. :'D

_FlipChick23_ - The games are certainly taking quite the twists and turns, and I'm very thrilled to hear that you're enjoying the chapters. As always, thank you for taking the time to read! xD

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Why thank you so much! And amen to that! Valkubus all the way! x'3

_SlytherinSlayer21_ - I love that you're enjoying this story, it makes the writing a real pleasure because I want to do everything I can to keep the readers entertained. And you're right, those Under Faes should have known better than to get on the wrong side of Officer Slamsin. ;D

_Khrat9_ - Oh, I love you for saying that! That is AMAZING to hear. I'm really having fun delving into Tamsin's whole 'tough' act, but you're quite right, she cares very much. And I believe that Bo is slowly trying to break down these defenses of hers, one at a time. Thank you for all the support and great opinions on this story so far! I'll be sure to try and give updates whenever I can, cause I'd hate to keep you waiting! :D


	5. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"I don't need another friend

when most of them, I can barely keep up with them.

Perfectly able to hold my own hand,

but I still can't kiss my own neck."

- Civilian, _Wye Oak_.

* * *

Throughout the remainder of the night, things had been more or less quiet. An odd peacefulness ever present within the motel room. However, inevitably the morning had approached and the clock on the wall was striking at the 10a.m mark. Anyone would have been awakened much earlier were it not for the fact that unlike yesterday, the weather was dull outside. Grey skies loomed over, making it impossible for the usual bright sunlight to crack through the windows and lighten the area up. The succubus had began to stir, a small frown on her face with the way her head was - as Kenzi had so elegantly once put - pounding harder than a sailor on shore leave. Immediately she concluded that she had either gotten into the wrong end of a fight, or the even worse end of a bottle of booze... or twelve. Bo then realized that her body was wrapped up in the embrace of another's, which made her heart flutter slightly. She could tell, obviously that she was against another woman, given the obvious knowledge that were it a male then she'd have felt a flatter chest pressing into her own. Her mind didn't race to any corner other than one as she began to open her eyes, on primary instinct she called one name through a soft tone, "Lauren?"

Oh, _ouch_. Tamsin - who, yes, had pretty much been awake the entire night - was unsure of where to even go about responding. Her throat felt just a little numb in the back and she just assumed it was thanks to an uncomfortable atmosphere as opposed to the idea that she could possibly have been hurt that the doctor always came first. It wasn't as if the valkyrie had been the one to save Bo's life yesterday, to heal her, to support her drunken stupor at The Dal, to bring her home so she didn't have to be alone, to listen to all of her problems...

Wait a minute, yes she **had!** She done all of that without question. Where was Lauren then? The blonde didn't know whether she should answer or not, but for the sake of coming across as her usual sardonic self she managed to force out words. "Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart." She had to commend herself for the way that her voice sounded so casual.

Suddenly, she felt that the brunette was lifting her head in a bout of shock; her face doing most of the talking for her. Tamsin raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Bo was looking at her as though she had been transported down to earth from some otherworldly planet. "Wow, do you always wear that face when you wake up?" The blonde's shield of snark was back up immediately, and she had completely forgotten the way that her arms were tangled around the succubus' waist.

"I... what?" Bo shook her head, although it was a mistake as it made her brain feel as if it had rattled around in her skull, so she stopped. "I don't understand - how did we... why am I... why are you...?"

"Those are some very well constructed sentences. You should really quit the whole hero business and get a job as a spokesperson instead." Tamsin knew that she was overcompensating with her jibes in order to patch over the small dent her ego had just suffered to find out that she had been mistaken for Lauren. Great, it was a sure way to make her feel as though seeing anything less than the doctor would only be ranked as second best. She didn't know why it irritated her so much, she shouldn't really care, she had done her job by looking after the brunette. There was nothing more to it than that.

"What the hell am I doing here? With you?" The succubus could have asked in a less abrupt tone had she not been so stunned.

"Cool your engines woman." The valkyrie rolled her eyes to look up at the roof as she prepared to give a summary of the events which led to this. "After your tiff with the doc, you must have loaded yourself with a hell of an amount of drinks. I found you at The Dal. You asked if you could spend the night here, so I let you. End of story."

Bo tried to make sense of what she heard, and being reminded that things were on the rocks with her partner only brought back the same bitter pain in her chest that she had wanted to numb out yesterday. "Well, I guess it's no secret that arguing with Lauren doesn't make me a shining example."

_'That's right, ignore everything I just said about ME taking care of YOU and focus on you and Lauren instead.'_ Tamsin was glad that she was able to play out her own thoughts inside of her head, otherwise she would get into so many more arguments in this life. "Yeah, you were a mess. Although I'm guessing that hangover of yours is a big enough giveaway."

Well, the succubus made no debate over that. She intended to spare a glance down in thought, but by doing so she reminded herself of the position she was in and it caused her eyebrows to hit the roof. "Uh, why are we on the couch? Together?" Bo's voice was verging between confusion and nervousness, her memories were a hazy place so she just assumed that anything could have happened. "Did we-"

"No." Tamsin cut in instantly, knowing what was being insinuated. "_No_." She reaffirmed and shook her head, "I would never do that, not with someone so pathetically vulnerable. You were all whiny and clingy, so I let you rest with me."

A tiny sector of Bo's conscience was briefly washed over with disappointment that nothing had happened, but an even greater part was astounded to find that the valkyrie hadn't taken advantage of her. Anyone else would have surely jumped at the chance for some free sex with a succubus. Why did Tamsin just have to prove herself as a combination of the perfect bitch and a considerate pariah? "We were just resting?"

"Yes, just resting." The valkyrie felt as though it would be easier to tell this to a random child than the woman next to her, especially with the way she looked so constantly baffled.

"You sure don't look as if you grabbed much sleep." The brunette pointed out as she brought her hand up to cup the blonde's cheek so that she could get a better look at the dark lines underneath her eyes.

_'That's because I had you on top of me all night, you crazy boob queen.'_ Tamsin was trying to be patient as she put up with the random caressing to her cheek, she could feel that her feet were beginning to tap against the bottom of the couch, as a way to distract herself from the enjoyment over the small contact. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I slept like a log."

"Has anyone ever told you that you suck at lying?" Bo mumbled lightly, feeling that her eyelids were still just as heavy, she ended up leaning down a little, beginning to rest some of her bodyweight against the blonde again. "I just want to sleep through this entire day." She complained pitifully, really bothered by the way that she felt ill whenever she moved too fast.

Tamsin gave an awkward glance side to side as she tried to comprehend what the succubus had meant. She could only fathom one response so far, spurred on by the way that the brunette was closing the distance again. "On top of me?" It was probably a silly question, but she just sort of blurted it out.

"What? Ugh, Tamsin, no I wasn't being serious, I meant metaphorically." The brunette fought the urge to shake her head, but she had to admit that the other female's misinterpretation was both innocent and cute. Bo's hand continued to rest against her cheek as she looked down at her, having a perfect view of her tired face. She tried to hide it, but it was easy to be seen.

"Oh, right. Of course, I knew that. I just didn't want _you_ to get the wrong idea." The valkyrie wanted to cover up the mistake that she had made.

"And what would the wrong idea be?"

"...that I'm some child's toy that you can just cuddle up to whenever you want. This was a one-off. I had to give up my evening for you." As usual, Tamsin purposely made it sound as though her good deed was a chore, but truthfully she would rather spend the night picking up Bo's pieces than building up a bottle count of beers and other spirits.

"So, if you gave up your evening for me, then what did we talk about? I don't imagine I would've kept my mouth shut at all."

Jesus, it was interrogation time again, so soon?

It was a difficult subject for the blonde to approach because on one hand she could tease the hell out of the succubus, but on the other, she liked the idea of keeping it all to herself. "Nothing really, I just listened to you sulk like some lousy teenager over your girlfriend." Tamsin shrugged as she removed her arms from around Bo's waist, beginning to prop herself into a seated position instead. "It was quite boring actually."

By moving, she had also somehow forced the brunette to alter. Bo was now back on her knees, appearing to be straddling the detective's hips. "Well, that's not as bad as I thought, I was sure that I would have ended up embarrassing myself." She stated through a small chuckle of relief. Her surprise was fully welcomed, for a change.

Tamsin too nodded along, beginning to chuckle, although her motives were for entirely different purposes. "Right. I mean, it's not like you were all over me in The Dal, or throwing yourself shamelessly at me in front of Trick. Now _that_ would have been embarrassing."

"Exactly-" Pausing so suddenly, Bo's eyes became wide as she realized that sarcasm was at use here. She could see the smug grin over Tamsin's lips and she knew that she was being dead serious. "Oh my god." The succubus brought both of her hands to cover her now blushing face.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." Oh, this was the moment that Tamsin had been praying for ever since she had battled with that damn hickey on her neck. Revenge was always so sweet. She sat forward, bringing her hands to rest against the brunette's hipbones. "If one thing, we managed to establish that you think my lap is the best seat in all of creation."

"Tamsin-"

"...and that my fingers were 'made' to please you."

"TAMSIN!" Bo's voice was a muffled plea behind her hands, desperately trying to make the blonde stop. She had never become so scarlet before in her life. And it didn't help when she felt that the valkyrie had grasped at her wrists, beginning to give a teasing pry.

With succession, the succubus' face had been revealed, she should have known that she was no match for the detective's determination. "Well, well, are you blushing?" Tamsin was beginning to turn the questions around, wrapping her fingers firmly around the other female's forearms so that she was left with no options where hiding was concerned. She was being coy, already knowing the answer for herself.

"This is not fair." Bo had enough trouble trying to deal with her current hangover without being teased to death along the way. "Good hosts don't torture their guests."

"Honey, I never said that I was good." Tamsin's grin was growing brighter at the reactions she was receiving from the succubus.

"If I didn't feel like shit right now then I'd be kicking your smug ass."

"I'll say this, you're always a dreamer." The valkyrie was never going to admit that she could be defeated by anyone in this world and even her precious little succubus was no exception.

Bo was squirming on Tamsin's lap as she tried to wrestle her arms free, "I'm a dreamer because I know exactly what I want."

"And what might that be?" Neither of the two had even seemed aware of how flirtatious their actions had been until now, and for a good few seconds after that they stared at each other. Awkwardly. Very awkwardly. Tamsin was almost sure that one push in the wrong direction and they were going to end up down a very clotheless path. She could feel an intense urge to claim Bo's lips, and judging by the way that the succubus was looking at her as though she was more desirable than a drink of water found in a desert, she assumed that it was a two-way thing. The valkyrie regressed back to her usual emotional distance and released her hold against Bo. "Well..." She tried for a topic change as quickly as she could, "since you do look under the weather, you should get yourself freshened up. There's a shower in the other room, it's yours to use."

"We should." The succubus said, realizing the slip-up of her words after it was too late, "I mean, _I_ should. Me. Alone."

"Nice save, succulette." Tamsin cleared a little of the tension by wearing a smirk as she guided herself out from her trapped position beneath the brunette. Once she was standing, she could feel how bizarre it was to not be encaptured in the warmth of Bo's body against her own. She had grown so used to it that the absence was too obvious not to pay attention to. She wasn't comfortable with this attachment she was creating towards the other woman. At any chance she got, she wanted to keep herself at a safe distance. Although that was the epitome of impossible. Sometimes she felt as though her heart was all wrapped up in some chain and that Bo could give it a yank forward whenever she pleased. _'No way, I'm not a slave to my own heart. I don't dote on this damn succubus.'_

Midway through her thought process, she noticed that the brunette had nearly stumbled when standing. In a split second, Tamsin was gripping her arms, keeping her supported and sparing her from a possible fall. _'Shit, I'm screwed.'_ She concluded her earlier mind's monologue.

"Thanks." Bo wanted to avoid how much she was comforted whenever she realized that she always had someone willing to catch her, she just had never expected that of all people it would be the valkyrie.

"Look, I'm going to go and stretch my legs, will you be alright on your own?" Tamsin asked as she at least made sure to help the succubus across to the bathroom that was across the very small hall. She could see that she was receiving a quirky look, as if her kindness was foreign and when she too came to the reality that she was less blunt than usual, she amended it. "Don't go get the wrong idea, I just hate cleaning up after your mess." With that, she took a step back, detaching away from the other woman, as though she would get burned if she stayed too close to her. She didn't even wait for consent to leave, whenever her pride got in the way, she just ran with it. "I'll be back soon."

Tamsin turned herself around and made a speedy departure from the room, close to slamming the door shut behind her. She clasped her hand over her mouth, looking as though she was about to be physically ill. Over these past two days she had been so stuck on thinking about Bo that it was becoming a struggle to recall what the world outside of her thoughts actually was. The blonde marched all the way along to the outside staircase as she battled with the sudden guilt of just leaving the succubus without actually knowing if she would be able to take care of herself. Great, that probably made her seem like a really smooth operator. Last night Bo had come to close to tears over the way that sometimes she was neglected to be cared for. Although, in retrospect, the only reason that Tamsin had excused herself to 'stretch her legs' was so that she could venture down to the small café around the corner so that she could retrieve some sort of beverage for the succubus. Bottled water was fine and all, but she could use with something else. As soon as the blonde was on the ground level, she made record time as she progressed onwards to the café. Like most things, the building was quaint and now that she was at the door, she tugged against the handle and slipped inside of the open establishment. There were a few other patrons dotted around by the seats, everything was so normal that it felt strange. She didn't take too much pleasure in meaningless violence, but she also hated a day without a little excitement to it.  
Ignoring her sense of adventure, she knew that there was no need to insult this place on being boring, so she just made her way across to the counter instead, seeing that the man behind was more or less ready to take an order. Hell, she didn't even know what the succubus would have as a preference, so with most things, this was a shot in the dark. "Alright, lets get this over with. Two hot chocolates..." Her requests were only going to be precise, and as she gave an off hand glance to the side, she noticed the array of different confectioneries and pastries. When seeing the traditional 'glazed' doughnuts, she nodded her head in thought. "...and two of those, to go, if you will." She waited with a short patience as the male nodded and went to retrieve said order. Fair enough it wasn't anything extravagant, but the succubus did have a hangover so something light was going to be better for her right now. Once the worker had sorted the lidded cups into the plastic holders and put the food in a neat little box, Tamsin couldn't be quicker to hand over ten dollars. "Keep the change, bud."

Her aim was to get in and out in as little time as she could, so she took a hold of the items and made her way straight to the exit, nudging the door open with her foot. And like a woman with a steadfast purpose, she retraced the journey she had made, taking her all of about two minutes before she reached the familiar door to the motel room. She used her elbow to turn down the handle and made her way inside afterwards. As the same door closed behind, she tilted her head, giving a glance around to see that the small living area was empty. The sound of running water couldn't be heard either, so she assumed that the brunette was finished with the shower. It had been between ten and fifteen minutes since she had left her after all. "Bo?" Tamsin called out, raising a brow as she stepped forward, placing the things from the café down onto the table next to the chair.

Unexpectedly, she found that the succubus had answered her words by stepping out of the bathroom; wearing nothing more than a towel around her body. Her hair was perfectly dried out, so she must have been very speedy when it came to getting herself washed. "Yeah?"

Tamsin couldn't even form thoughts as she gawked at the other female, whatever she had just done in the past few minutes was completely forgotten about. If Bo ended up raising her arms then the towel would fall... and wouldn't that be a 'tragedy'.

"Yes?" Bo repeated again, in a prolonged voice to prove that she knew the blonde was having trouble talking. She could have stepped out with her clothes on, but maybe a part of her wanted to see how the valkyrie would react if she wasn't wearing much at all. And she hadn't been disappointed. This was payback for the way the she had been brought to blushing earlier. When the other female was still evidently stuck on what to say, she began to lessen the distance until she was practically in arms reach. "Thanks for letting me use the shower, these towels are pretty soft...they feel very good against my skin."

_'Lucky towel,'_ Tamsin became a little jealous of the inanimate stretch of cloth, but she kept her expression as blank as she could. She wouldn't lose herself into temptation with the succubus, not when she was aware that Lauren was still the most important factor to her. "I stopped by the café." She found her voice and pointed across to the table.

Bo's gaze had followed and when she saw that the valkyrie had gone out of her way to make sure that she didn't end up starving, she began to smile. "That's a very sweet gesture, thank you, Tamsin."

"It's... it's fine." The blonde still wasn't used to anyone expressing genuine gratitude before and she didn't believe that she needed it for running a simple errand. Her eyes had been roaming up and down the female's neck, and past her clavicle, descending lower to her breasts. Although the second she found that the succubus was tilting her head back around, she snapped her sights back up to meet her face.

"If you keep treating me like this, you'll never get rid of me." Bo was wearing the same smile as she ran her hand along the valkyrie's arm, giving her shoulder the friendliest of pats. Then she turned back and made her way over to the couch so that she could take advantage of the rare kindness that the detective had brought back from the café.

"Good to know." Tamsin mumbled under her own breath, she had prepared to follow in Bo's footsteps, but she was distracted by the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. She scrunched her nose and rummaged for the device before pulling it out. Without any hesitation, she answered the call, "Yeah?"

"Tamsin, it's Trick." The caller's identity was no longer a mystery, but it wasn't expected either.

"How did you get my number, old man? It could give a girl the wrong impression." While speaking, she looked across, seeing that the succubus was quite happily beginning to rejuvenate herself by enjoying the purchase that had been brought in. Between taking a drink from the warm beverage she looked across to see what the commotion was about. Tamsin spared herself from suspicion, "it's your grandfather." With that she watched as Bo gave a nod of acceptance and then she turned to look at the window while she continued with the call.

"Look," Trick continued, "I'm not in the mood for your quips, is Bo with you? Is she alright?"

"She is fine. Did you really expect anything less? She is with me after all."

"It's your one redeeming quality." The male was muttering to himself on the other end. "I need you two to come to The Dal as soon as you can. It's urgent."

"Slow down, what do you mean?"

"I don't want to discuss it by the phone. Just get over here, pronto." His voice didn't sound pleased as the call came to an end.

Tamsin was left frowning as she pulled the phone away from her ear, she was glancing at the device with a look of confusion. Something was upsetting the atmosphere today and she didn't know what that was. Trick was annoyed at her for reasons that she didn't really understand. She slid the device back into her pocket, where it had resided before, as she tried to go over what the problem was going to be this time. Minutes of sheer thinking had gone by as she stared out the window to the bleak day outside.

"Is everything alright?" Bo asked, growing as curious as ever.

The valkyrie came to realize that she must have blanked out for a short period of time because by the time she looked across her shoulder, the succubus was evidently finished with everything, in fact, she was even re-dressed, finishing with zipping up the front of her jacket. "Something is up, apparently. Trick wants us to drop by The Dal. He says it's urgent." After speaking she was already marching across to the door. The only thing stopping her was the sound of Bo clearing her throat. As Tamsin tried to find out what the delay was, she noticed that the woman was indicating to the fact that she hadn't had the luxury of getting some energy into her own system. She paid one glance to the other cup on the table and narrowed her eyes. "There'll be time that later, right now I just want to figure out what's got your grandfather so on edge."

Explaining no more she opened the door to the motel and stepped back into the outdoors, "come on, sweetheart, we don't have all day."  
There was little point in debating the matter, not with everything seeming to be so set in stone. Once both females were out of the building, Tamsin locked the door with the standard key she had been given. She was quite prepared to leave. But there was yet another delay. A gentle grip on her arm drew her sights down, she found that Bo's hand was against her. Scrunching her nose, she was unsure as to why she was being stopped.

"It occurs to me that I haven't taken the chance to thank you for looking after me last night." Bo's voice was gentle, and she knew that the valkyrie was going to try and protest but she ignored the idea of that. The succubus leaned in and pressed her lips to Tamsin's cheek. She left a very soft kiss to the flesh, lingering in the position for at least two seconds before she pulled back so that she could look into the female's eyes. "_Thank you_."

The lack of any sort of response was due to the detective being overwhelmed at the reward she had just been given. Sure it was a simple kiss, nothing to get worked up about. Although, Bo had chosen to show an act of affection even though she had a current girlfriend - what did that mean? Was there anything to it at all? Or was the blonde merely reading into a brief show of gratitude far too much? She never got the chance to ask or reply as the brunette walked on by, intent of commencing the short journey that it was going to take from the motel to The Dal.

Whether Tamsin was aware of it or not right now, she was left to follow, a little like a lost puppy who was racing from one emotion to the next. She really did hate the way that her icy persona was being mellowed by one female.

One frustratingly-selfless-beautiful female.

God, the walk was just pure torture because the blonde couldn't even think of what wit or remark she could throw into the mix to create a normal conversation. She was swallowing constant lumps. Speaking her mind was something she done so often that it had become a second nature to her and yet here she was, lost for appropriate words. Her eyes were on the concrete pavement beneath her feet, but from her peripheral vision she was aware that Bo had gazed in her direction a couple of times. See? It really was as though this chain around Tamsin's heart was being tugged at again. Every time she convinced herself that she didn't care she had this blasted brunette making her contradict herself. Maybe things were actually going right with someone in her life. She wished that she had more time to talk with the woman one on one, but when she finally glanced up, she saw that they had reached the desired establishment. Well, this was going to be the moment of truth in a way.

The two women entered through the same means as they always did, it was quiet inside. Empty actually, aside from the few familiar faces. That being Lauren, Trick, Hale... and Dyson, who appeared to have several gashes and visible injuries across him - which the doctor was tending to.

Bo's eyes widened considerably at the sight and she rushed straight to the others, "Dyson!" She exclaimed from pure concern, nearly wincing when she saw how nasty some of the wounds actually looked. "What the hell has happened to you?"

Tamsin disliked seeing the current condition that her partner was in, she didn't get a good vibe, mainly because she had see similar wounds once before. But, she had a more important question on her mind, butting in before anyone else spoke first. "Where is Kenzi?" The blonde folded her arms across her chest, glancing from side to side, she certainly couldn't see the Russian girl, so that was something worth a further panic, right?

Hell, when the succubus realized, she turned even more deathly pale, looking hopelessly around the area. Dyson's small groan was what brought her attention back, sharply. "We were attacked yesterday during our patrol at the other side of the town." He was beginning to explain through a groan.

Lauren was using a small cloth to dab along the gash on his forehead, mumbling an unamused, "you're going to love this."

The succubus frowned softly, uncertain as to why her partner would say something along those lines, but she didn't question it, she just tried to hear the exhausted male out. "It was a Fae, grey skin, razor claws, the same one you described Bo."

A sudden stillness voided within the bar, the brunette's expression becoming the epitome of disbelief and utter confusion. She was beginning to shake her head, as though these facts must have been wrong. "No, no. That can't be right. Tamsin and I killed that Under Fae yesterday, she shot it in the head - I _saw_ it's body." She explained; her heartbeat starting to race way too fast.

"Dyson said he was attacked just after one o'clock yesterday." Lauren stood from her crouched position, laying the cloth on the countertop as she faced her girlfriend. A small look of sympathy crossed her face. "You came to see me after three, so it's obvious that there was more than one of these Faes running around."

"-It took Kenzi." The male shifter added so abruptly in a tone of failure and anger. "I... I tried to stop it, but it knocked me down. By the time I..." Shaking his head, he couldn't focus properly. "It took Kenzi." He emphasized the main problem again, through gritted teeth.

"WHAT!?" In Bo's opinion this new just got worse by the minute. Her best friend was missing - again. How could she not become a wreck of distress over something like that? "We... we need to find her, I won't lose her." The succubus was pacing frantically, unable to differentiate left from right. The only cause of her stopping was when the doctor had stepped forward, gripping her lightly by the shoulders.

"Finding her is impossible, we have no idea where the Fae has taken her, she could be anywhere - which is exactly **why** I needed to study these creatures in the first place." Lauren's words were going down an obvious road, "If I had just been able to examine one, like we had planned, then I could've determined their habitat, their routines. The most likely place in this town that we could find them. This is why it was more important to bring one back alive." She concluded through a heavy sigh.

The frustrated gaze of the doctor - and everyone else in the room - had fallen straight onto one person in particular.

"Oops." Tamsin said.

It was too difficult to tell whether she felt guilty or not, given how bluntly the syllable had escaped from her. All she knew was that she had a lot of accusing eyes on her right now. Unlike a normal person who would be intimidated to be at odds with the world, the valkyrie was only going to become super defensive.

"Oops?" Hale asked in disbelief, wearing a small frown over his features. "That is all you can say? Your pride might cost Kenzi her life!" The once calm male's voice had risen, due to his rising concerns over this missing girl.

"Cry me a river, siren. Kenzi has street smarts, she will buy herself time and we can save her. It's no big deal." The blonde replied, her voice careless.

It was now that Trick had leaned forward, resting his hands over the surface of the bar, "No big deal? This is a girl's life we're talking about-"

"I know." Tamsin snapped, glaring over at the male, "Are you deaf? I said that we will rescue her."

"So, Lauren was right all along. About everything." Bo finally spoke up, catching the blonde's sights so soon. This event had shaken up everything in her world. Kenzi was, what she considered, her heart. The closest she had to family, despite having her grandfather right next to her. "You are unreliable. I should have known that you would cost me more than I could give."

The succubus and her understandably cold comment had left an unkind gash somewhere in Tamsin's mentality. All of the progress she had made, taking care of the brunette, was sundering down into ash and ruins before her very eyes and nothing she was capable of saying could fix it right now. "Unreliable? I was the one who-" Pursing her lips, she stopped herself immediately, refusing to bring up her caring actions toward Bo the previous night. No, somehow she believed that would make things worse.

Lauren's brow was raised as she glanced between the two other females. She was rubbing Bo's arm, as a way of a subtle reassurance. It also acted as a way to mend the rift between them, without the use of words. "You are the one who has been the catalyst for all of this." She decided to take a jab at finishing the valkyrie's unspoken sentence in a way that she could only see as fitting.

"ME!?" Tamsin's anger was starting to surface again, given by the way that she was now the one starting to pace, furiously. Her eyes were narrowing, to a dangerous extent, drifting over all other faces that opposed her, before landing back onto the doctor. "If you were half as good as you say you are, then why didn't you have a field of experts deducting that there was more than one Under Fae loose on the town? Oh, wait, that's right - you're never on the frontlines! You hide behind your damn microscope!"

"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Lauren was arguing back, although she wasn't quite as forceful as the other blonde was.

"I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming science. It means nothing when you are out fighting for your life." Oh great, round two. Scientology versus physical perseverance. "Let me tell you something doc, when you're up against something that is trying to rip you to pieces - you don't want to know where it lives, you don't want to do know how it works or what makes it tick. You _want_ to survive. You don't think about graph methods and blood tests, you think about making it to the next day."

"But this wasn't a severe fight, you just lost your temper and done whatever the hell you wanted, as usual."

"I got hit. All I saw was red. Sue me, it's a reaction to anger."

"Your 'anger' is hazardous!"

"No it's not... but I can assure you that it is about to be." The moment that the threat had escaped from Tamsin's lips, she could see that the succubus had taken a protective stance in front of her girlfriend, so she scoffed and continued. "Science hasn't been around forever, survival has."

It was amazing that a few of the glass windows around hadn't shattered with the amount of anger that was bouncing against the walls. Tamsin was in a stand-alone position, so she was at the point where if someone tried to prove her wrong, she would rebound it straight back. The concept was difficult. Her beliefs were old fashioned and this thirst for knowledge that doctors and specialists sought was modern - it was becoming the answer to the new generation.

Bo's own feelings were crushing lower, how could the same blonde who had been so endearing this morning become public enemy number one again? She didn't expect that Tamsin's actions would have caused so many repercussions and now she regretted that she had argued with her own girlfriend on the matter yesterday. What had she been thinking? Of course she should have known that the valkyrie's brutality wouldn't go down well, but she had been caught in a trance of how protective she had also shown herself to be that it was a very screwed up situation. "What you're saying, it doesn't change the fact that Lauren could have done some good." The succubus had once again become overly trusting of the doctor, hence why she was taking her side.

"It wouldn't have worked." Tamsin countered, crossing her arms over her chest, stubbornly.

"How the hell do you know that?" Hale interjected, still sounding as irritated as he did when he spoke earlier.

But, his 'big' attitude wasn't even enough to make the valkyrie flinch, though she did pay him a free scowl as though to warn him that she didn't have a problem in taking him down a peg or two. "Because, you dipshit, you can never assume to know how some other form of life is going to react. Doctor brainiac over here could have done a thousand reviews on this Under Fae, she could've come to the same conclusion a dozen times, but that doesn't change the fact that things can't be trusted based upon on written evidence." Beyond the usually witty demeanor, the blonde happened to carry a hell of a lot of intelligence herself. Most of it was based on common sense and past experience.

"You're not even a qualified doctor - you have no idea what you're talking about." The siren was growling now, taking the wrong tone.

"No, I'm a valkyrie. So you're right, I have _more_ than just an idea. I've lived with war and let me tell you, when you take an enemy hostage it never ends well. They break out, kill people in their way and it's all a bloody mess by the end. The Under Fae that I shot clawed threw my car roof as if it was paper, so what the hell would you have restrained it with? Chains wouldn't have worked. A doctor is barely a fighter." Tamsin was back to her unconscious pacing, her breathing tight and her posture as strict and tense as it could possibly be. "My point is, you can't guess how something else works. Otherwise why would there be stories about loyal dogs who suddenly lash out at their beloved owners? Or even circus animals, that have been gentle for years, take a rampage one day? You _cannot_ predict anything other than yourself. You may think you can work out where these Fae live, but that's just a guess, you could end up being entirely wrong." The valkyrie squared her shoulders, soldier-like as she came to stop in her steps. "Here endeth the lesson."

Oddly, when she paid a small glance to her left hand side, she realized that Dyson hadn't spoken, or even blamed her for that matter, but out of everyone in the room, she knew that he had the best chance at understanding her point. When it came to overcoming the centuries, he was no novice either. Survival was in the blood of a wolf after all, wasn't it? Especially a lone wolf at that.

With a silence encapsulating the room, she knew that everyone was trying to think of a way to contradict what she had said, but she wasn't going to give them the chance. "Look, the main focus of this entire subject should revolve around getting Kenzi back."

"Agreed." The male shifter eventually spoke, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. "I'll return to the station and see if I can find anything in the files."

"No." Bo refused faster than a bolt of lightning, "you need to focus on recovering. I'll get the files." She pursed her lips lightly as she turned her sights, appearing to purposely ignore the valkyrie so that she could look at the doctor next to her. "Lauren, can you come with me? I'll need your help."

"Of course." The other woman was always willing to lend a helpful hand, especially since she knew how important Kenzi was to her girlfriend. "Come on, we should head over there now. We'll take my car." And with that, she was leading over to the door at the back, lowering her hand to take a hold of the succubus'.

Naturally, Tamsin noticed the contact and felt her chest clench. Before she knew it she was faced with a view of the brunette's back as she made her way to depart. "Bo." She called out once. With the turn of events, she knew that everyone was blaming her for the Russian girl's capture, even the succubus too by the way she didn't care to respond. "Bo!" In one last hope, she made another attempt. The valkyrie had no idea what she expected, perhaps she just wanted to reaffirm that she hadn't completely screwed things up with the woman. She needed a sign. One clear sign.

The brunette stopped when she was by the door, but she didn't look back. A painful frown was on her face, even though it couldn't be seen. "Don't do me anymore favors Tamsin." The way she was scolding the valkyrie hurt her terribly inside, but she was angry that things had worked out this way. And she was even angrier that the blonde couldn't admit to a mistake, or be the bigger person. She was always going to be stuck in her ways. Or that was what Bo saw on the outside. She said nothing else and left the establishment, with her girlfriend.

_'Shit, how to get a kiss from a girl and lose her in the same hour - a story by me.'_ Tamsin told herself as she watched the now empty doorway ahead of her. She had gone down in flames. No doubt Bo and Lauren were going to reconcile and have some long make up sex. The thought alone wounded the blonde's pride more than she ever cared to admit. There was an irony, wasn't there? Bo had been in this exact predicament yesterday, being rejected by Lauren. Yet, she had the valkyrie to comfort her throughout the long hours of the night.

So the question stood, who was going to be there to comfort Tamsin? No one, probably. She was used to getting through things alone.

"Lets just hope Kenzi isn't dead already." Hale made one final remark as he too made his way to the exit, but not before nudging past the valkyrie's shoulder. His reasons for being bitter were also understandable, given his fondness over the Russian girl.

Trick was the next to leave, though, he only departed into his office at the back of the building, more than likely going to resort to whiz through his books on the Fae world.

By the end it only left both detectives inside the main body of the building.

"You sure can clear a room." Dyson remarked as he straightened his posture, wincing at little when he had strained his injuries more than intended.

Tamsin gave a heavy sigh and slumped down onto the wooden stool next to him. "Oh, you should see what I can clear when I'm having a very bad day." Averting her sights from the roof, she looked across to her partner, observing the cleansed cuts that were visible. "I thought wolves were supposed to be tough."

"And I didn't think valkyries were big drinkers." He answered quickly, his comeback causing the female's lips to draw a thin line. Nope, she couldn't debate with that.

"Well, you should touch up on your Scandinavian lore." The last person she expected to have a decent conversation with was the broody shifter, but she appreciated it. "So, what's your deal? Don't you want to round up with your buddies and burn me at the stake?"

"First of all, I don't think you would let anyone burn you at the stake." Dyson said through an amused chuckle, but the sound soon faded as he turned to a more serious note. "And secondly, I've survived for a long enough time in this world to know how easy it is to act on instinct."

"Compassion from a wolf? Who knew."

"Like you said, you can't predict what another person is capable of." The male used the blonde's words to his advantage, finding it appropriate given how everything had worked out.

"Touché." Tamsin concurred.

"I know that you try hard, which is exactly why I also know that you are already figuring out a way to save Kenzi. Am I wrong?"

The valkyrie's nose scrunched at the question, "That depends, how big is your ego going to become if I tell you you're right?"

"I won't flaunt it, so long as you know that I'm tagging along with you on this."

"Dyson, no. No way." Tamsin shook her head instantly and shot up from the seat, "you're all brusied and bloodied, I don't want an injured puppy slowing me down."

"I'm stronger than I look. Besides, you need someone to watch your back, Tamsin. What if you come up against more than one Under Fae? It's a suicide mission." Dyson protested as he too began to rise from the wooden stool. His movements were less refined given that he felt as though he had been pushed through hell and back, but he was always the determined type.

The valkyrie placed one hand against his shoulders, forcing him back down in a sharp push. "Don't you dare. I swear to god, if you try to stand up one more time then I will put you in crutches." Tamsin didn't mean to be quite as harsh, but it was the only way she knew how. The male wasn't protesting anymore, so that was a relief, for now. "I work better on my own. I don't need science, I can track this Fae the old fashioned way. Just tell me where it attacked you and Kenzi."

With hesitation, Dyson wracked his brain for an answer, needing to recall the exact location, "The old sawmill at the edge of town." His words were laced with guilt, because he knew that there wasn't the slightest chance that he could change his partner's mind about this. She may not have said it, but she clearly wanted to save Kenzi to redeem herself. Technically, he didn't believe that the valkyrie's method had been wrong, she was just difficult to understand.

"Don't worry yourself, Kenzi is going to be fine - after all, look who she's got coming to save her ass." Resorting back to her usual confidence, Tamsin gave a bright smirk, proving that this was something she had to do. "If I get her back before morning then you owe me a brewski. Deal?" Her voice was playful as she began to step backwards to the door, as though this wasn't even a life or death situation.

"Deal." Dyson tried to offer a small smile, even though he disliked the thought of the blonde going off on her own, he placed faith in her that she would do her best. If anyone had determination it was the valkyrie.

Tamsin nodded to his confirmation and left The Dal, she was going to need to drop by the station to pick up some arsenal, so no doubt she would run into the succubus and the doctor, but she didn't give a damn about that. Or she tried not to. She didn't regret the way she had shot the Under Fae, she just regretted that she had somehow lost all of the progress she had made with Bo. For once in her life she had become fond of being close to someone and that was all going to be forfeit unless the got Kenzi back. Why did the valkyrie constantly finding herself having to play hero lately?

Oh wait, the answer was simple; _Bo_.

This was all because of her.

* * *

Well, what can I say guys? First of all, if I woke up in a motel one morning and Tamsin suddenly walked in with hot chocolate and doughnuts, I'd have to look down to see heaven. Like seriously, that is soulmate material right there. ;D

Although I kinda wanna give her a hug, she's always in the position of having to prove herself. (But at least she got the D-man's loyalty!) I mean, she's all prepared to go and save Kenzi, on her own, so I actually feel bad for these Under Fae. They've got one hell of a storm coming their way. The things that Tamsin does for love...awh. I know what you're thinking, "when is Bo finally going to drag Tamsin's ass to the damn bed?" Well, I think that is going to happy very, _very_, soon. xD

(Reviews! Reviews! Reviews! xD )

_shannon1419_ - Oh, bless! I'm glad you enjoy what I write, it only makes me wanna continue! :D

_harukaIs_ - Thank you so much, I love that you love this fic! xD

_FlipChick23_ - Tamsin does have her moments, but I thought that it would be nice to see her softer around the edges with a drunk Bo. :)

_Khrat9_ - I'm thrilled that you liked the tension between Tamsin and Lauren, they both have contrasting views. And while neither of them are truly in the wrong, I believe that Tamsin's methods are the safest solution at the time. xD  
And you're absolutely right about that, she is able to take care of a lonely person whereas she is just equally as broken inside, but she hides those cracks as best as she can. Bo just needs to look beyond the good doctor to see that there is some other wounded soul who she is the world to.  
I must admit, I was thinking along those lines myself, just to add to the constant uphill battle Tamsin is on. Similar minds think alike my friend! *High five for the super awesomeness*

_bruubertolo_ - Ah, you are so sweet! Thanks a lot! xD It's perfect that you like Tamsin's attitude, because I love writing her to be the lovable badass that she is. She's always going to be a law unto herself, and I'm glad that you're enjoying the fanfic so far! I plan on writing lots and lots of chapters. xD

_Guest(s)_ - Why yes, I think it's fair to say that Bo does happen to be Tamsin's heart. ;)  
I'll always try to update as often as I can for you guys, I swear!

_TheJojo99 _ - Oh my god, she totally has, she is beginning to try and be the single person in existence who gives her all to look after Bo. But I agree, it's going to be bizarre in season 4, because I'll always expect Bo and Tamsin to end up together, but that might be high hopes. x]

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Trick should have known better than to interupt a drunk succubus. ;)  
At least the hangover will be easier when Bo wakes up to someone like Tamsin though. c':

_Evelien_ - Wow, thank you so much, that is such a beautiful compliment and I can't tell you how flattered I am. It makes everything worth while to know that I'm doing justice to the characters. If I ever do write a real book then you'll be the first to know, for sure! :')  
Thank you again for the wonderful comment, I'm so glad that you are enjoying what I write, it makes me more than happy to continue. c':

_Tay Field_ - It's a promise! I'd never want to leave you hanging, there's still so much more Tamsin/Bo progression to be had after all. :D

_Valkubuslove_ - Drunk Bo is a sweetheart because she's so innocent and vulnerable, but at least she's got Tamsin looking out for her. Thanks for lovely review and if you're happy to read then I'm always happy to write! xD


	6. This Is Not Your Grave

"And when you call me, I'll be there.

Faster than a lightning flash, rushing through the cool night air.

Oh, so start ignition, count to zero

I just want to be a superhero."

- Superhero,_ Tim McMorris._

* * *

So, somehow she had gone from bitch, to redeemable, to unreliable and now she had taken over the role of anti-hero also? Tamsin was getting pretty het up about these constant throw abouts. She truly didn't know whether she was coming or going. In the harsh light of day - did she really have any obligation to save Kenzi? No. The girl was of no blood relation, no close companion, no lover. The valkyrie had been asked to deal with one Under Fae. _One._ And she had done so. There was no bargain that extended for her to handle all of the others. And inevitably, she was roping herself into going on a solitary rescue mission for the very same human. Her reasons for doing so were not out of a kind heart, but rather the of the ability of her heart caring for Bo Dennis.

The maths and logic behind it was fairly straight forward. Kenzi was important to Bo. Bo was important to Tamsin. Thus, if one hair on the Russian girl's head had been harmed then these Under Fae were soon to join the dinosaurs of a species long extinct. Even as the blonde had progressed from The Dal and to the station she wasn't in the best frame of mind. No, she had become bitter about the way that the doctor was now the 'golden hero' to the succubus again. Lauren just had to bat her eyes and say a few sciency things and she had practically sewn all wounds up from the night beforehand. It was unbelievable, but the valkyrie always had the oddest streak of luck. Odd in the way that it never actually got better. As soon as she reached the building which she normally worked in, she knew exactly where she needed to go. The room of weaponry, where else? If she was going on this suicide mission - as Dyson had put it - then she was going to come back out alive. Her eyes were narrowed in focus as she marched down the long corridor. Yes, she was also aware that Bo and Lauren would be in here somewhere, but she hoped not to run into them, to be brutally honest. She descended the stairs down to the lower level of the building, no one ever visited the area, so she could only hear own steps echoing as she approached the door at the back. There was a small security panel attached to the wall next to it and when she came to it, she used her thumb to punch in a sequence of four numbers. A beep sounded as the red flickered to a green color. Tamsin grasped and then turned the handle, pushing the door open.

Upon entering the room, her sights scanned around the several different racks which carried a different variety of guns. Bullets had worked in her favor the first time around so it made sense to rely on them. Kenzi's life was at stake so under no circumstance could she screw this up. She ventured in further, grabbing up the empty duffle back - seeing as how she couldn't storm the public streets fully armed. Her curious eyes scanned around, and slowly, she came to select which arsenal would suit her best. A bolt action rifle, for long range. A 12 gauge shotgun, for close range. Tamsin placed both into the bag as she searched the next shelf. "Well, this is the type of thing that really makes a girl weak at the knees." She commented to herself as she grabbed a revolver handgun, sliding it into the waistband at the back of her jeans. And naturally, just as a precaution, she took one of the standard bowie knives and strapped the leather holster around her belt before she placed the dagger inside. Why wasn't she taking more guns? Well, the extra weight would be far to difficult for her to heave around. No, she just took the four weapons, shoved a little ammunition into the bag and then zipped it up. She carried it across her shoulder and exited from the room, pacing confidently back down the corridor and then up the stairs. No one around even suspected a thing so far. Although, ill fate struck again as she turned the next corner and bumped into none other than the succubus herself.

On instinct, Tamsin was about to reach her hand out to keep the brunette balanced, but she didn't bother. "Excuse you." Well, her frosty tone had returned; her defenses much too sharp than they had been prior to the disagreement in The Dal.

Bo's eyebrows knitted in dislike to the negative reception, she looked at the blonde and all she could really see was someone who was void of all emotion; other than impatience. "Charming." She mumbled, but then she laid eyes upon the bag carried across one of the valkyrie's shoulders. "Where are you off to?"

"Nowhere that concerns you." The blonde's response was almost a sneer as she tried to walk around the other female, although as soon as the succubus had caught a sight of the dagger she was carrying, she was stopped - as usual - by a grab to the arm. Yet, where she would always stand still and wait for a hundred questions, she just hauled her limb back to herself. "Don't do that again." She warned before proceeding ahead.

And was she shocked to hear the sudden sound of footsteps hot on her tail? Not in the slightest. Tamsin growled because she knew what was coming next. Bo had grasped her wrist again, and this time she was forcibly tugged around.

"Or what?" The succubus was calling in the threat that she had just been given, but she didn't wait around in fear that she might get her ass kicked, so she changed the subject again. "What are you doing? Why in the world do you have the dagger by your belt?"

"It's a bowie knife _actually_, and I believe that I said it is none of your business." The two were back to bickering so quickly that the past twenty four hours probably seemed like some crazy dream. Once the blonde's walls were back up, she wanted to keep it that way.

The frustration was becoming more and more evident in Bo's expression as she glared up at the slightly taller woman. "So, that's it? The ice queen has returned?"

"She never really left, but I should be thanking you, you helped to remind me of that after all." Wow, every time she said something nasty to the brunette it left the most awful stab in her own heart. That wasn't right, was it? Why would she feel hurt for insulting someone else? Damn it, her wires were still crossed somewhere.

"You're blaming me, huh? It figures."

"If figures? What the hell does that mean? Were you even listening in The Dal? I haven't done anything wrong-" Tamsin was getting annoyed pretty rapidly so she clenched her teeth, "-I don't even know why I'm trying to explain myself to you. I don't owe you anything."

Bo found it impossible to believe that the blonde was so uptight that she couldn't acknowledge how she had created a problem. "Kenzi is missing, things are still tense with Lauren and Dyson is a wreck. And somehow, it all comes down to you."

"Yeah, well, merry freakin' Christmas." Her conclusion and latest attempt to just leave had gone down the wrong way. Tamsin felt her jacket being grasped, followed by her back being pushed up against the nearest wall.

"God dammit, Tamsin." For a change the succubus was the one growling dangerously, "I really thought you had something good to you. I wanted to trust you, but you're just showing yourself to be an arrogant bitch, I honestly didn't think someone could be so selfish, but you've won the award for that too." Her lips were torturously close to the valkyrie's and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to kiss her to death, or throttle her to death. "I should be helping Lauren overlook the case files instead of dealing with you right now." As she loosened her grip, she took a tense step back and then shook her head. "At least I can count on her to help me find Kenzi."

Tamsin didn't say anything, she just let her merciless thoughts roam around freely in her head, _'Well, while she is helping you find Kenzi, I'll be busy __**saving**__ her.'_, oh the irony never ceased to amaze her. "If you're quite finished, I'll be on my way." She didn't even want to wait for consent to leave, she just walked and her third attempt must have been successful as she had no resistance thing time. Nope, she just carried the bag with ease. It was the weight in her heart that felt as though it was killing her. The words had cut her emotions down some more and she didn't know how to handle that. She wasn't good when she was being attacked from the inside, she couldn't protect herself from that.

The succubus eyed the distancing figure of the valkyrie, seeing that she was passing by a few of the offices, but, before she could see where exactly she had gone, she cast her gaze in the opposite direction to see that Lauren had finished up with talking to one of the other officers who had granted her access to the documents that were needed for the abduction history. "You got them?" She asked through a small smile.

"Well, being a doctor, I do have certain advantages." The doctor spoke through a soft voice, she could see the recent show of distress across her girlfriend's face, mixed with what could only be sadness. Although she assumed it to be because of her best friend's unknown whereabouts. "Don't worry Bo, we will get her back."

"I know. I know we will. I just don't want her to get hurt. She's probably all alone and that thought is killing me." The brunette didn't bring up the fact that she was suffering from a whole new pain. A pain which had recently become the absence of a certain blonde. "I need to know that she is alright, I need to get her back home again." Her voice had become much lower in emotion.

"I hate to admit this, but Tamsin did have a point earlier. If there is one thing that Kenzi is good at then it's stalling. We have to trust that she will buy us enough time to get to her." Lauren was choosing to act with a comforting logic, she never took any joy in seeing a person that she cared for in a state of deepening sorrow. And this most certainly qualified. "We just have to take this step by step, if we rush into anything without a clear mind we are only going to bring more trouble to ourselves, okay?"

Bo nodded, grateful that the doctor could say things in a way that managed to lift some of the weight from her constant stresses and strains. "Okay, you're right. Of course you are." She could have gone into a ramble, but she avoided that and nodded her head to indicate that they would be better off going through to the office just down the hall, where some of the other files had been gathered.

While walking though, she did realize that it was in the same direction that the valkyrie had gone in, but she was way out of sight now. Hell, she wouldn't even be in the building anymore. Bo wished she knew just what Tamsin was up to, although there were some mysteries in the world that would never be uncovered. As she entered the office with the doctor by her side, she moved over to the desk that they had been working at previously. Resuming a seated position on the wooden chair, the succubus soon felt her phone vibrating inside of her jacket pocket. She was confused as to who was calling until she pulled out the device and briefly scanned the name. Afterwards, she accepted the call without any pause. "Dyson, hey. What's up?"

"Bo, where are you?" The male asked, his voice more speedy than usual; the sense of urgency very rare for someone who was usually so level headed.

"I'm at the station with Lauren." Her response was honest, but there lay a hint of confusion, "we're going to have a second glance over the files to see if there is something that we've missed. I know it's a long shot, but it's all I've got."

Dyson sighed heavily from the other end, knowing that he had one question that he needed to get to straight away. "Is Tamsin there?"

"Tamsin?" Bo's nose scrunched in discontent, even now she was still a little riled from their last encounter. "Her royal highness stormed out of here a couple of minutes ago."

"Shit." The shifter grumbled on the other end of the call, the noise of his fist hitting the counter being heard in the background. "Look, you have to try and catch her."

"Oh come on, are you kidding me, she is the most uptight-"

"Bo," Dyson interrupted, sharply, "she is going to save Kenzi."

The succubus had come close to dropping the phone from her hand, but only spared herself from doing so due to a split second reaction. "What?"

"She left The Dal, intending to take a fight way across to the old sawmill on the outskirts, look, I tried to go with her but she wouldn't let me, you have to stop her. This job is too big for one person." He explained as briefly and as bluntly as he could, "I know you have tension with her right now, but you have to remember, she is our friend. My partner. Her methods are brash, but her principle is to keep everyone alive." Seeing as how no one else had tried to defend the valkyrie's case earlier, he made a point of doing so now.

"Alright." Bo was nodding too quickly for her own good, "alright I'll get her back. _I'll get her back._" She gave a quick farewell before she disconnected from the call. Her heart was back on a runaway train again now that she realized her mistake. Everything she had said to Tamsin within the past few minutes had swung her guilt to the highest summit. She glanced straight to Lauren, about to excuse herself, although she could see that the doctor wasn't paying attention. She was too busy looking for something. "Babe, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just my car keys, I could've sworn that I left them on this table." Lauren said, pouting her bottom lip in thought as she gave a glance to the other desks and counters around.

Like a lightbulb being switched on, Bo knew what had happened and abruptly let her reaction slip in one word. "Shit." Turning on her heels, she was racing out of the office and along the hallway, nudging by several of the other officers who were passing. With the intense palpitations her heart was running at, she was certain that the organ would either explode, or she would pass out. Personally she hoped for neither. As she reached the exit of the station she hauled the door open and sped forward the last few steps. Her concerned eyes were glancing everywhere and anywhere to try and see the valkyrie, or the vehicle, but both were out of sight completely. "Shit, shit... shit." She was breathing deeply as she clasped her hands against her head, constantly trying to calm herself. It was mission impossible though. There was no physical way that she was going to be able to catch Tamsin now and that thought alone made her nauseous to the point where she felt like she could throw up. What if the blonde got herself killed over this? She would die thinking that the succubus believed her to be heartless and selfish. Bo continued to repeat the same crude syllable over and over, in her head and within small whispers that escaped her lips. She couldn't think straight as her eyes danced from left to right.

The entire day was turning upside down because right now she just wanted Tamsin.

This was becoming a horrible nightmare, the only difference way, she couldn't wake up from it to a better world. This heartache was her world.

* * *

"Ha, suckers." The valkyrie remarked, rather pleased with herself that she had commandeered a very expensive car. It put her truck to shame, but she didn't care for vehicles. If she just so happened to wreck the 'all knowing' doctor's means of transport then she would consider that an added bonus. Her foot was precisely slammed onto the accelerator as she navigated through the quickest routes and shortcuts to get to the outer linings of the town. Anyone would regard her as reckless for even considering to undertake a job with so many high risks, but she would rather take all of the heat by herself than risk a scenario where Bo could end up getting hurt instead. Despite how she had acted back at the station, she wouldn't be here right now if she didn't want to ease the emotional pain that the succubus had to endure. Losing Kenzi would be the worst thing imaginable for the brunette, and typically, that was the last thing that the blonde would ever let happen. And besides, the Russian girl wasn't horrible either, she could be comical on some rare occasions. _'The poor kid doesn't deserve to die like this anyway'_, she told herself as she kept her sights fixed firmly out of the front window, observing the passing views. She was no longer in the town center, but passing through the outlying areas where there were less buildings, less people and more forestry, which made sense, given the location she was headed for. Of course there were going to be trees and woodlands scattered around, hell throw in some howling wolves and it would be well on it's way to making the perfect setting for some horror movie.

Two more minutes had passed until she saw the abandoned sawmill coming into view. It looked emptied of every form of life, the type of place that just looked too sinister for it's own good. So, for that very reason, she hadn't parked the car near to it. Out of preference she didn't park the car directly at the building, but she was near to it. "Alright." The valkyrie turned the engine off and got out from the car, closing the door strongly behind. She made her was straight around to the boot and opened it in order to get to the bag. "Time to play hero." Between the small mumbles to herself, she unzipped the large rucksack and brought out the two guns that were stored inside. As a valkyrie she hadn't even seen the need for guns. But as a detective she knew the body of the manmade weapons almost as much as she did her own. Her eyes swept over to check that the ammunition was perfectly stocked beforehand. Both the rifle and shotgun had slings attached to them, which would make it easier to carry. She slipped the strap of the latter over one of her shoulders and carried the other. Taking the bag was going to be too much of an inconvenience. No, she was locked and loaded, ready to save the day. It was becoming a useless habit for her when considering that she never received any real form of praise or reward, so the valkyrie assumed that, if anything, she would take a thrill in the sheer challenge. One of these creatures had been enough to mess up someone as strong as Dyson, and even Bo had wound up in a near death state the night before that. Although, those two weren't tactful as much as they thought. Guns worked wonders against these enemies, so it made sense to shoot them to the grave.

After Tamsin closed the boot of the car, she began to walk toward the large and desolate mill, carrying an ever constant caution in the back of her mind. She was alone here, so the only person she literally could rely on was herself. Right now she was fairly certain that the doctor would be having a heart attack of the absence of her expensive car and that thought alone humored the valkyrie as she made her way to the semi-cracked wooden doors at the front. _'Dyson said that this was where he had been attacked'_, she mused to herself, casting small glances down to see some of the drying blood stains along the ground. She wasn't sure which belonged to the wolf and which belonged to the girl. Red was red. Unfortunately they were just blotches scattered randomly against the ground. None were actually trails that could be followed.  
She left that alone for now and entered the building itself. The machinery was dust covered much like everything else, and there was a definite ambiance of danger. The dull daylight from outside was breaking through several small cracks and holes in the walls and the roof above.

Tamsin kept a firm grip onto the rifle in her hand, keeping her brow raised as she began to take a walk around to give a brief inspection. Her eyes were wandering along some of the unused saws, as well as she overhead balcony and control room at the far corner of the rusted staircase.

The valkyrie didn't know what she was looking for in here, and for the next ten or so minutes the answer continued to ellude her - until she heard a the sharp snap of a branch from outside. Her eyes became half closed, and she knew straight away that the noise could only be from something large than a fox. She made her way across to one of the broken window frames at the far side, keeping her back pressed to the wall, and upon giving a subtle peer outside, she could see a figure in the distance that looked all too familiar. "Well, well, look who has come out to play." Her words were uttered under her own breath. She could see that one of these damned Under Fae was stalking around in the forest-area, which made it look like every child's most terrifying nightmare. Much like the one that she had killed yesterday, it's long claws hanged down by it's sides as it prowled the area. It was roaming around, a little like an animal searching out for food.

A small smirk was creeping across the valkyrie's lips as she raised the gun, staring through the small scope attached so that she could get a better aim at the creature. Her index finger moved to rest lightly against the trigger. She counted one second, and then another.

And then she squeezed, tight.

With rapid precision, a single bullet escaped the rifle, and cut through the air until hitting directly into the Under Fae's side. The creature shrieked and wailed in those inhuman ways that could only make a person's blood run cold. It was taken by surprise, hence why it was glaring around to see who had injured it. But by the time it's eyes landed on the sawmill, the blonde was no longer standing by the window.

Her back was pressed to the wall and she kept from sight. There was a reason as to why she didn't just kill the damn thing and it received an explanation as she dared a look out of the window again. From what she could see - much like the day before - this Under Fae was also making a run somewhere now that it was injured. "Bingo." Tamsin didn't waste a moment more as she raced out of the front door and around the side of the building.

Where did things do when they were hurt? _Home._

This silly creature was her ticket to finding out exactly where these things lived. "No science required after all." She mumbled to herself as she kept her eyes on the form of the creature as it continued to flee through the heart of the woodlands. The valkyrie was following at a discreet pace as she loaded another bullet into the rifle. Even if the Under Fae somehow vanished from sight, it was leaving a mess of blood from it's open wound, so either way, she would find out exactly where it was going. Tamsin tried not to concern herself over anything other than the task at hand, but the succubus was never far from her thoughts. She often found herself picturing Bo's perfect smile in her mind's eye.

It had taken a few minutes of seeing the staggering Under Fae progress that she eventually laid her eyes on an upcoming cave; of course, it made sense. Attack people, drag them out of town and keep them where no one would ever suspect. Now that she knew exactly where she needed to go, there wasn't further use for keeping the injured creature alive. Tamsin stopped in her tracks and raised the rifle once more, hovering the aim directly to the hostile life form. "Hey, ugly." Her voice echoed as she called out to draw attention to herself.

Just as the Fae had reached the entrance to the cavern, it reeled it's contorted face around in sudden alarm. And just as it's cold, dead, eyes finally locked onto the blonde - the trigger was pulled for a second time. Before the creature could even hiss, a bullet had hit straight through it's skull. Tamsin watched as it toppled to the forest floor and she knew that it would never get back up. "Score one to the valkyrie." Lowering the gun, she exhaled a deep breath as she closed the rest of the distance, and out of annoyance, while she passed the newly-made corpse of the gangly Fae, she gave it's body a hard kick, gritting her teeth. "Try to save a few seats in hell, you're family will be joining you soon enough." And with that, she ventured inside of the dank cave, finding that it was much more difficult to see - but it wasn't impossible. Some of the rocks around were crystallized which offered decent visibility. With every step she took, she kept her wits about her, unable to let any doubt into her mind for a single second. She continued along this narrow passageway, trying to keep her steps light.

Although because things never always went according to plan, her boot hit against small rock which created a finer noise than it would have done if it weren't so eerie in here. Tamsin glanced down for a single second, but as soon as she heard a rush of footsteps coming at her from the other end of the tunnel, she was back on focus. One of the Under Fae (which had been conveniently patrolling around) heard the stone being hit and assumed direct action. The valkyrie would have taken a shot with the rifle, but she released she hadn't yet loaded another bullet into the chamber, so when she pulled the trigger and nothing happened, her eyes widened. "Oh, crap."

The creature made a lunge for her, clawing down viciously, but she held the gun in front, as a means to defend the hit. Although, you could imagine her shock when the same razor sharp talons had cut straight through the rifle, breaking it in half. Tamsin's wide eyes were now on the fact that she was holding two useless pieces of wooden stock, she dropped both to the ground and stumbled back; avoiding another strike in the nick of time. She reached back with one hand, intending to grab the shotgun off from the sling over her shoulder, but the hostile Fae made another charge, tackling her to the ground.

Tamsin groaned when her back hit against the ground, but she refused to be pinned down, so she was rolling around, trying to dodge the oncoming swipes as well as she ominous set of jaws that were snapping at her. She felt a scratch or two landing into her shoulder and there was no point in pretending that blood hadn't been drawn. If these Fae could break through wood and metal then tender flesh was hardly a challenge. The valkyrie could feel her adrenaline and anger beginning to kick start, as it usually done whenever she was being attacked. For three seconds she risked protecting herself and reached down to the dagger around her belt while the onslaught of slashing proceeded. Her fingers curled tightly around the handle and she drew out the weapon in lightning speed and thrust the dagger into the creature's chest. Once she had it roaring in protest, she brought her knee into it's stomach and pushed it off of her. By now she could see that her shirt was no longer in perfect condition. Some areas were becoming red, and others were just ripped. "Son of a bitch." She growled and fought back up to her feet. The injured Fae was also struggling, but she grabbed it by the back of the head with one hand and used her other to jam the knife into it's jugular. It flailed for a good few moments as it gargled with the new bloodflow, and just like the others of it's kind, it fell down to the ground just as hard.

That was two dead so far, in the space of ten minutes.

The valkyrie's chest was heaving in and out as she placed the dagger back into the holster. She staggered along the passage way and ignored the small stinging sensation against her shoulders and torso. She could focus on bleeding later, right now, she just had to figure out where the victims were being held.

She rounded the upcoming corner and saw that the slope was beginning to lead downwards, so she was more careful with her footing as she made a descent. The last thing she needed was to trip and do herself another injury.

As soon as she had reached the lower level within this cave system, she could hear the sound of a girl screaming - and she immediately assumed that it was Bo's spirited little friend so she raced forward without a second thought. Her speedy movements led her to a wider room. Kenzi happened to be tied up by the wall, desperately trying to back away from the Fae that was stalking straight to her; blood dripping from it's claws. Tamsin hadn't noticed right away but there were old bones and even some fresher bodies sprawled on the ground, so she assumed that this was some sort of feeding chamber.

"Hey!" Making her presence known, she swung the shotgun over her shoulder, gripping the handle and trigger firmly. The moment she had startled the creature and caught it's focus, she tipped her head to one side, smirking, "surprise, asshole."

_Bang._ The shot was fired and the creature took a blunt hit to the chest and began to stumble back. Tamsin cocked the barrel of the gun and became 'trigger happy' again, targeting the same area which sent the Fae back to a further distance. To be honest, she didn't stop shooting until it was collapsing into a pool of it's own blood.

Kenzi's eyes were wider than plates when she saw what had happened, and more importantly, who had spared her from a grisly demise. "Holy shitballs!" She was awestruck and panicking all at once, "dude, you're like the freaking terminator!" At least her attitude was as creative as always, even in spite of the fact that she didn't look too great. Like Dyson, she had a few cuts here and there, but nothing fatal.

"Can you keep your voice down, kid, otherwise you're going to give my position away." The blonde growled when she realized that the shotgun was out of ammo given the small spree that she had gone on. She discarded the gun by throwing it down to the ground.

"Quick, quick, get me out of here before it's dinnertime, will yah?" The Russian pleaded as she yanked and tugged against the ropes that were binding her hands above her head.

The valkyrie abided and moved across to her position. She flipped out the dagger from earlier and used it's sharp edge to cut the restraints away, although she noticed that the girl's legs were about to give way, so she wrapped an arm around her waist and supported her from a nasty fall. "Easy there."

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you of all people, blondie." The girl's tone was terrifyingly relieved; her gaze sweeping around to see that it was just the two of them. No Bo, No Dyson. "Oh my god, are you here on your own?" Kenzi asked in shock as she grabbed onto the older female's shoulders for support - being sure to avoid pressing down on her visible wounds.

"Yep. I'm the rescue team." Tamsin's answer was unconscious as she kept looking around, making sure that they weren't going to suddenly be attacked, because she wouldn't discount something like that happening.

"Dude, this is the second time you've helped to save me from a creepy ass place. You're like some nordic guardian angel...with guns!" No matter how many times Kenzi spoke, she couldn't keep the quietest voice in the world, but it did just prove how much she was expressing her astonishment over this all. The valkyrie was the last person in this world she had imagined saving her. Sufficed to say, she was glad to be proven wrong.

However, judging by the 'angel' comment, the blonde's eyes were back to rolling as though what she heard was ridiculous. "Yeah, yeah. We can talk about this later, lets just get you out of here, unless you want to stay with your new friends."

"So not funny." The Russian girl mumbled as she tried to step forward, but as soon as she put pressure onto her right ankle, she cried out and almost fell down - but for the second time, Tamsin had kept her standing by grabbing her arms.

"What?" She questioned, her eyes darting up and down to make sure that the female wasn't going to just die on her anytime soon. "What's the problem?"

"It's my ankle, I sprained it yesterday, I can't stand on it without crippling," Kenzi whined as she hopped around on one foot, keeping by her unexpected 'hero' in case she ended up tripping herself, "it really hurts Tamsin."

"You're such a drama queen, it'd be a lot worse if your foot had been cut off."

"Well thanks, that just makes me feel so much better - you know what, why don't we just skip out of here, hand-in-hand?"

"Valkyries don't skip."

"And neither do genius girls who hobble - that being _me_, right now."

"Okay, okay, fine." Tamsin twisted around and began to crouch lower to the ground.

"What're you doing?" Kenzi's eyebrow rose as she glanced down, trying to make sense of what was going on.

The blonde gave an irritated groan at the question and patted her hips, "what does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to carry you out, so quit dilly-dallying and climb on my back."

It was unusual that the two of them were bonding during a dangerous situation like this, but the girl was in no mood to complain, she moved forward and wrapped her arms lightly around the blonde's neck while she also brought one leg up to lock around her waist, followed shortly by the other. The valkyrie took a moment to adjust to the new weight against her. Kenzi was light, thank god. So it was easy for her to rise into a standing position. She rested her hands under the young female's legs so that she could give her full support. "Now, if we're attacked, I've got my hands full, there's a gun tucked in my belt, so you're going to have to take it. If anything gets close, then shoot. Capiche?" She waited until she felt the girl lowering a hand to pull the weapon out before she began to walk. Each step was significantly heavy and tiring but this was a small price to pay.

Kenzi eyed the gun for a moment or so, trying to nod as she circled both of her arms around the blonde again. "Okay, got it."

"Good. It's a revolver so it only has six bullets. Aim for the head."

"Wait... as in shoot to kill?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes at the girl's innocence, "No, I thought we might let them run up at us slashing and clawing for a little bit first - OF COURSE SHOOT TO KILL!"

"Sheesh, you're in a cranky mood - aren't heroes supposed to be warm hearted?" Kenzi teased, trying to cover up the fact that she was absolutely terrified, although having a valkyrie protecting her couldn't have been a bad thing, right?

"I'm going to drop you if you don't stop talking about this 'hero' nonsense." The detective uttered under her own breath as she began to ascend the same slope that she had traveled down not too long ago. She found it questionable as to the fact that she was able to just walk out without any form of resistance in the way, but she didn't get her hopes up.

The two fell into a bout of silence as the valkyrie focused on getting back to flat ground again, because carrying someone uphill was definitely taking it's toll, so it was very fortunate that she was a determined soul. Although to peace of quietness didn't last forever, much to her personal dislike at that moment.

"So, what made you want to come out here and save me all by yourself?" Kenzi asked, but her tone of voice hinted that she may have already come up with a theory all by herself, she only hoped that the blonde was about to confirm it.

"Dyson is injured and Bo is distressed. There you go. It's simple. I was the only one capable." Tamsin answered as solidly as a soldier would answer a routine question. She heard the young female tut away on her back, as if she knew that there was something more to it than that.

And, indeed, the Russian wasn't as dull as she made herself out to be, "Riiight, the big bad valkyrie suddenly wants to chase after me out of a good heart and it has nothing to do with BoBo?"

"Wow, the lack of air in this place has driven you mad, obviously." The blonde passed the subject off as if it was nothing and continued to walk, gazing down at her boots to avoid stepping on any loose rocks. "Despite what you think, I love a challenge."

"Oh come on, I saw you and Bo all flirty in the station the other day."

"Flirty? You need to get your eyes examined kid, she was frustrating me. There is a difference."

Kenzi pouted and rested her chin against the valkyrie's shoulder while they moved, although she probably had the easier job right now. "You don't have to lie to me, I see things. It's nice that you came to save me for Bo."

"Kenzi, I-" Tamsin didn't quite know how to respond, "Look, regardless of what you think, I'm not here to rescue you to impress the damn succubus, I'm saving you for _you_. Bravado has nothing to do with it. You might be a bothersome little human, but you're not expendable." Maybe she could come across as a woman with a stone heart, but she didn't want this girl to believe that she was only regarded because of her friendship to the unaligned Fae. "Even if you weren't best buddies with Bo, I'd still be here right now. Do you understand?" She tried not to come across as sentimental at all.

But that didn't change the shock that flooded through the girl. It was nice to know that she was thought of as her own person as opposed to the sidekick to the succubus. She wasn't sure how to react to that, "Wow, we're totally having a heart to heart right now."

"What!? No. No we're not. I'm just telling you that I'm here because someone has to clean up after all of the times that you screw up." Tamsin was back to being as defensive as possible.

"Oh, you can't backtrack now, missy valkyrie, you said you were here because-"

"I know what I said!"

"Now, now, there's no need to be shy, everyone develops a soft spot for the Kenzi machine sooner or later." The girl prodded with a small grin as she kept a tight hold onto the other woman.

Somehow Tamsin was more frustrated with Kenzi around, which was ironic given that she should've felt relieved by saving her in one piece. "If the Kenzi machine doesn't fix it's blabbering problem then it'll be down for maintenance."

They had both bickered so much that when the valkyrie turned back around the corner, she spotted at least three of the Under Fae up ahead. "Hey, blondie." Kenzi whispered, aware that the enemies had already seen them both by this point, "have you ever heard the expression 'you're up shit creek without a paddle?' "

"Yes." The valkyrie mumbled as she tried to configure some form of a plan.

"Well we are in an alligator infested creek in the middle of a thunderstorm - heading towards a raging waterfall - WITHOUT a paddle!" The Russian was rambling in a fearful panic, becoming tense as she clung tighter to the stronger female.

"Thanks for that, I feel so much better." Tamsin barely got her answer in before she saw that the three hostiles were beginning to rush at them. She started pacing backwards, "the gun, Kenzi, use the damn gun!"

"Alright!" Becoming the epitome of panic, Kenzi was fumbling around with the weapon in her left hand. She gripped it tightly and aimed directly ahead. Although while squeezing the trigger, she closed her eyes. She fired one shot, followed by another.

Both missed, no surprises there.

"Wow - you really suck at aiming." The valkyrie had to speak up as she gave a glance back, noticing the girl wasn't even looking at where she was shooting. "God damn it, were your eyes closed the whole time!? You just wasted two bullets!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, guns aren't my forte. I'm more of a 'words for weapons' kinda gal." Kenzi forced her gaze to the front, steadying her aim before she made another attempt to take a shot. Luckily, the bullet hit into one of the Fae's legs which slowed it down considerably. And her next attempt to pull the trigger failed. "Oh crap, it's jammed."

That wasn't exactly what Tamsin had wanted to hear, "leave this to me." Unsure of what she was going to do to resolve this, she placed the girl down carefully and then rushed ahead without any reluctance. The enemies were exceptionally close, and when they were close enough they attempted to make a their trademark swipe. The valkyrie dodged the first Fae, and countered a hit from the second by grabbing a hold of it's wrist. She yanked it forward and then spun it forcefully into it's companion. The third was beginning to catch up to the conflict, which upped the ante even more.

Kenzi had toppled down onto her knees, gobsmacked to see that the blonde was even able to go through with taking on three enemies at once - nevermind considering it. She could see that the valkyrie was deflecting a lot of the attacks and parrying most of the moves with her own physical prowess. If their lives weren't dependent on Tamsin's success, then the girl wished she had some popcorn or a drink to watch this fight because it definitely qualified as a good source of action. Although it was probably wrong of her to think along those lines given that she saw how the other woman was beginning to tire; less attacks were being dodged but that was only natural, she couldn't keep this up forever.

Tamsin used a last resort and pulled out her trusty dagger. She thrust it into one of the Fae's chests - but in doing so, she left herself open to an attack. One of the other creatures brought it's claws down her side in a vicious scratch. Blood was drawn upon the slightest contact and she resulted in a backwards stagger, grasping her hand to the nasty gash that had been made. The valkyrie was becoming too exerted to continue and she knew it.

Oh, well, she only had one card left to play.

She stopped backing up and took a defensive stance, she was preparing to use her powers to give them the edge on this fight. "Okay, here goes." Sighing heavily, she stayed exactly where she was, making sure to keep her gaze fixed upon the direction of the trio of adversaries. Though a toll would be taken, she began to tap into her dormant and deadly abilities. In a second, her irises were turning into a darker shade of color, her face becoming faintly transparent to the point where certain hollow features were exposed. It was as though she was between human and skeletal; though it was a valkyrie trademark. The illusion of enforcing severe doubt and intimidation. All three Under Fae were captive to the trance, each beginning to waver and hiss as if they were experiencing one hell of a bad headache.

"Holy..." Kenzi's sentence was delayed as she saw what was actually going on in front of her, she hadn't seen what the blonde was capable of with powers and such, but she had to admit, it looked pretty damn awesome so far. "..._shit_!"

The valkyrie didn't speak at all, she was crossing the wires of her each opponent's psyche, breaking in and overflowing their aura with so much doubt to the point that it would be too unbearable to want to live - she would weaken their mentality and break their resolve; their soul, to the point where the physical life and motivation of the heart soon followed. A tactic just like she had used on the comatosed male when he had awoken, the day she had helped Bo rescue Kenzi. It took several seconds, but she started with the Fae that she had stabbed, using the sheer force of her indomitable will to make it collapse to the ground. Her soulless eyes then drift to the next creature, repeating the process, and then the final. She only stopped when all three were on the ground. Afterwards, her face returned to it's full normality and she took a deep breath before taking two weakened steps back.

It didn't take much to make her collapse to the hard ground, the toll of her abilities costing her straight away. She refused to succumb to unconsciousness by keeping herself propped on her hands and knees, taking slow breaths to cool her overcharged system. Her powers were a little like an electric pylon, she could use it, but it always zapped her in the end.

"Tamsin?" Kenzi spoke through a tone of genuine concern as she forced herself to crawl forward so that she could reach the exhausted blonde. She placed one hand against her shoulder against her shoulder as soon as she could. "Hey, hey, it's alright." Was she actually trying to comfort the stubborn blonde? Yep, it appeared so. Although it was the very least that was deserved after the hell that this had been. "You done good." The girl continued with her reassurance, sparing a glance to the immobile bodies that laid a short distance away. "Actually, you done _really_ good."

Little had the valkyrie anticipated that she would be commended by a human. These days were always so filled with surprises, weren't they? Maybe she needed to hear that she was doing good. It was difficult to get through life without an ounce of support. "Did you expect anything less?" Tamsin forced herself to wear a strong smirk as she raised her head so that she could look at Kenzi. But in all truth, she was wrecked physically and internally. Her long adrenaline was coming to it's end and all of the wounds she had tried to put off were creeping into reality again. The bleeding wasn't lethal, but it wasn't stopping either.

At least, if anything, she knew that the returning grin she received was out of the girl's personal relief that she was still her usual obstinate self. "No, I suppose not. Can you walk? Are those Under Fae... did you kill them?"

"I tried to." Tamsin replied as she reached out to take a hold of the handgun and when it was passed across to her without any qualms, she realized that the gun only appeared to be 'jammed' because the girl must have accidentally hit the safety button. The innocence over something so simple made her want to grin more, however, she kept an impassive look on her face and aimed it over to the recent bodies. Three shots echoed. The remaining bullets all ending up buried in the heads of the Under Faes. "Either way, they're not getting up now." She slipped the revolver into the waistband of her jeans and rose to her feet, using the wall to guide herself up with more stability. When glancing down, she could already see the single lock of her blonde hair that had fallen to the floor.

Kenzi had noticed it too and looked up, uncertain.

"What do you know, I guess I'm not invincible." Tamsin made an idle joke over the situation to avoid being questioned on it, because she was sure that the human wanted to. "Come on, lets get you home." Stretching out her hand, she waited until the girl had taken a hold of it before she guided her back to her feet. Much to their inconvenience, Kenzi was still at the stage where she was unable to walk perfectly, so the blonde slipped one arm around her waist and the other under her thighs so that she could lift her from her feet. And she done so without debate. Hell, her body was borrowing a strength she no longer possessed, so why wouldn't she want to spare more energy on the way? God, everything was starting to hurt so much that she doubted it could get much worse anyway.

"You're making me feel like some damsel in distress, y'know." Kenzi jokingly rolled her eyes, forced to wrap one arm around the detective's neck while she began to walk again; to the exit of this horrible cave once and for all. "But, really, thanks for saving my ass. I'd be Fae-food if it wasn't for your impeccable sense of timing."

"It's fine, kid." Tamsin wasn't wanting this to turn into a mushy conversation, and she quickly pressed onto her snarky ways again, "besides, they would've died either way. Eating you would have given them food poisoning."

Well, as soon as she had said that, the two of them were in a battle of witty words for the greater part of the journey. Even when outside and progressing back to the sawmill - and the vehicle - their conversation was consistent. Kenzi would take a jab at some sort of joke about blondes and then Tamsin would retaliate about goths or humans. The poor girl wasn't a match for the valkyrie's comebacks, but she was giving a better challenge than most others could have done. As strange as it was, she was warming to the hotheaded detective in a way that she had never done before - nor ever expected to. Would she go as far as to say friends? It was a bizarre notion to consider, but 'acquaintances' wasn't fitting anymore, not since they had been through a survival situation. Mind you, she couldn't see herself and the valkyrie sitting down playing video games on the couch together - no, something told her that Tamsin would be way too competitive over that.

While being carried, Kenzi's cheeks began to turn a different shade when her stomach made awkward grumbling noises. She placed her other hand over said area as if she wanted to cover up what had just happened.

But, the detective was giving a smirk to prove that she hadn't ignored it in the slightest. "You must be pretty hungry, I can't imagine that the Under Fae fed you at all." She jested over the situation, in her own way. "Look, I passed a steakhouse on the way here, so if you want, we can stop in on the way back."

The mention of food caused Kenzi's eyes to light up like a small child during their birthday, "Yes. That is a perfect idea to me, super woman. Food is good, food is great!" She became excited over the normal things in life again, every time she came close to losing her life it made her appreciate just about everything.

"Alright, that settles it then. We'll get some energy in you, and then I'll take you back to... Bo." Saying the very name reminded Tamsin of the way that things had been left with the succubus. It was a tender issue, but she planned on confronting it as though it was no trouble whatsoever.

As she finally made it back to the vehicle with Kenzi, she set her down by the passengers side and made her way around to the driver's door. It was in decent condition, which was probably for the better anyway, although when pulling the keys from her pocket, she made the tiniest scratch across the pristine paint, just for the sake of it.

"I thought you drove a truck?" The human girl's eyebrow knitted together in confusion as she opened the door, she settled her main focus over to the aloof blonde.

"Oh, I do. This is Lauren's car. I stole it." Tamsin answer so coolly that it was impossible for the two of them not to share an amused chuckle afterwards. Kenzi had started it, and whether or not intended, she had followed.

"_Dude,_ yes!" In eagerness the girl could only extend her hand along the roof of the car, across to the valkyrie.

This stunt definitely required a high-five.

* * *

Well, I hope that chapter wasn't to tedious for you guys to read, I know I rambled on an awful lot, but I just want to keep things as realistic as I can. It'd have been a little less involved if I just wrote *Tamsin storms in, shoots the enemies and saves Kenzi* So you know, I feel as though you all deserved much more than that! xD

Also I enjoyed touching on the whole Kenzi/Tamsin interaction. The two of them don't get far without squabbling, but between us, I believe Kenzi is going to be quite the Valkubus shipper. ;D

I wonder how our favorite succubus is going to react when she lays sights on Tammy again. Oh, the suspense.

(Le Reviews. xD )

_ThomasinaL_ - Oh, me too, I think she is in need of a hug. Bo owes her big for all of this! ;D

_Javlalebb_ - Ah, I'm so glad that you loved the twist, I also like to throw little plot curves in whenever I can, so there'll be plenty more to come! And it most certainly was a Buffy quote, the fact that you noticed just proves how awesome you are! I love that show! ;D

_Khrat9_ - I love your long reviews, it's always so refreshing and heart warming to be able to discuss all of the morals points and differences with someone who is a fan of the characters!  
I believe that the Lauren/Tamsin tension is always going to exist, they have so many contrasts which I'm sure I'll end up touching upon. One is a woman of science and logic. The other is one of survival and experience. Oh, they're eternally clashing. I'm glad you love the idea of Tamsin's rescue mission though, I can see her going all out, so it's been a pleasure to try and write. xD  
And you're write, Bo often lets her emotions get in the way - she has a lot to consider. For instance, since she is trying to 'fix' things with Lauren, she'd only have done more damage if she stuck up for Tamsin during the whole argument within The Dal. The poor succubus is always under pressure. I can see her getting a wake up call as to how much our valkyrie is willing to sacrifice for her though.  
The Tamsin/Dyson friendship is awesome, I hope to see more of it in season 4!  
And I love your long reviews, they are perfect. Everytime I see them it makes me smile. :'D

_TheJojo99_ - Well, as the saying goes, similar minds think alike. And that is perfect! Tamsin is always so close to capturing Bo, but life just keeps snatching the chance away. Well, life, and Lauren. I agree with you whole-heartedly though, in season 4, Bo is going to need someone to fill in the hollow gap that Lauren has left, and who better to do that than the same valkyrie who has loved her all along? I can't think of anyone better. I'm glad these frequent updates make your day though, it gives me immense happiness to hear that. So I LOVE you for all of your positivity for the story! If I haven't said it lately then thank you so much! XD

_FlipChick23_ - I know, right? Our valkyrie has to go through hell and back on a daily basis, so I can see that it's going to give Bo quite the wake up call soon enough. c':

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Oh, the whole world loves to blame Tamsin for it's problems, but, the main thing is that she is a strong enough person to deal with it. She can shoulder all of the weight, and it's even better that she's going to come back as the hero for a change. I bet it'ls really going to make Lauren cringe to know that no science was required in Tamsin's plan to save Kenzi. ;D

_knosms3_ - Why thank you so much! I'm very glad that you love it, it's wonderful to hear. And I'm with you, Tamsin all the way! (;

_Evelien_ - Thank you for the kind words, I'm always so pleased to hear that you are enjoying the chapters. And I can agree with you that writing can be difficult, especially when trying to come up with constant imagination and dialogue between characters. But if you ever start writing again, whether it's fanfiction or an actual book then I'd be really keen to read your work, because I think it would be wonderful! :)  
I couldn't agree more, I wanted to keep things realistic by making Bo and Tamsin slowly realize their feelings for one another (because I doubt they'd just jump into it after a few nice words) But you know Tamsin, she is always kicking ass! So I'm sure that her favorite succubus is going to have a few words for her when she returns. xD

_Alywritingdream_ - Awh, that's very lovely to hear, I'm blessed that you are liking what I write! I certainly boosts my motivation to continue as much as I can. :D

_Capt. S_ - Bo does seems to have a little naive air to her at the moment, doesn't she? Although I think she is actually realizing how much Tamsin has done/is doing for her, so she's probably going to give her one hell of a reward for all of this! Along with a lifetime's worth of apologies. ;D

_bruubertolo_ - Oh, the badassery is always inside of her, and I think that Tamsin had become rougher around the edges with our dear succubus again, especially after their disagreement in The Dal. Haha, but it's so awesome that you can check these updates when you're in school and whatnot, it can be such a boring place after all, so you deserve some Valkubus updates to brighten the day! ;D  
I'll never get tired of you or your awesome reviews for that matter, I love 'em! I really do! :')

_keyatwin_ - Why thank you kindly, the story shall definitely be continued, and I'll always prize myself on giving updates as quickly as I can for you! c':


	7. A Slave To The Heart

"Still, I stuck around.

I did behave.

I saved you every time.

I was a fool for love."

I Was A Fool, _Tegan and Sara._

* * *

"Oh my god, that was the best food I've ever had." Kenzi's comment came out of the blue midway during the drive back to the center of the town itself. For the past hour and a half, she and the valkyrie had been sat inside on of the passing restaurants and she had indulged in the several of the courses on the menu as if all food was about to go out of fashion in the near future. Although, being abducted and starved, she was bound to want to make up for all of the hunger pains she had suffered from. What was more surprising was that Tamsin had been more than willing to pay for it all; it turns out that she was remarkably patient when it came to sitting by the table, waiting around for the girl to fulfill her primary needs. Typically, since they were both covered in cuts and bruises they had been on the end of very questionable looks from just about every other patron, but it was easy to ignore those trivial things in life compared to the danger that had recently been survived. However, now that the chore of dining was completed and out of the way, they were headed back to The Dal, where it was assumed that everyone else was going to be. Whether that was true or not was yet to be seen.

"You might be a human, but you definitely have the appetite of a Fae." Tamsin responded in a casual manner as she kept her sights on the road ahead. Her words came with an honesty. In comparison to mortals, Fae dispersed more energy, hence why they had a higher intake of food and such, it was just logic that they were advanced in that sense. Although, the young girl next to her was giving them a fair run for their money on that front.

The Russian female tipped her head in thought for a few moments, considering what she had heard. It did strike several topics in her mind that always seemed to lurk around. "It must be nice, being superwoman." She said in a pensive voice, almost giving the impression that it was like some lifelong dream to escape from the shackles of normality.

Whilst driving, the valkyrie's brow arched and she shrugged her shoulders. "I was born this way. It's the only thing I have ever known." She answered at first but then glanced across to her latest companion. "I understand that it looks like the coolest thing, but it's nothing to be envied."

"That's easy for you to say, you can go all 'mortal kombat' on anyone you want. I just get myself into trouble all of the time, like today." Kenzi gave a sulking pout as she glanced down to her jeans, searching for lint, mindlessly.

"When you put it like that, I suppose it can be hard to watch all of your friends progress and advance. One can influence people by touch, one is a siren, the other can change into a damn wolf." The blonde tried to see things from the other girl's point of view, she could have gone on with an endless list, but she needn't bother.

"You all save the day, you get super cool abilities. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have to be the only loser around. It kinda sucks." Kenzi huffed, running her fingers through her dark hair as she averted her sights to the window next to her, watching the passing traffic and buildings. "I'd love to be the hero for a change, you know?"

Tamsin's brows were furrowing as she tried to think on the best possible response to give to everything that she was hearing. She kept both hands firmly on the wheel in front of her as her thoughts drifted for something plausible. "Being the hero isn't all it's cracked up to be, kid. Life isn't a movie, the good guys don't always win and the best way to find happiness is at the bottom of a bottle."

"Do you have to be so morbid about everything?"

"I'm just trying to be realistic with you, you shouldn't chase a world that doesn't exist."

"But you were kinda my hero today, right? So it can't be all that bad." Kenzi countered, trying to find a positive way around the subject so that it didn't all sound entirely hopeless.

The valkyrie shook her head, "I've told you before, I'm no hero." She was going to be adamant on the fact until the day she died. She didn't believe herself to be a good person, she was just good at getting a job done right. That was all there was to it really. "And as for being human, it's a part of you Kenzi. You wouldn't be the same without it."

"No, I'd be better."

"Not exactly." Now Tamsin was the one going into debate over this, but she held strong beliefs over the matter. "Being Fae would change you. You would be less forgiving, even unintentionally. At first you might think that you're the same person, but over the years you will become blinded by your power."

Kenzi's nose scrunched, she didn't know whether or not there was much truth to these explanations, but the blonde had no reason to lie to her. "But there are advantages too, like, my immune system would be strong enough to overcome major human ailments - cancer, heart attacks, tumors."

"True, but you also battle with just as many disadvantages. Bo's love carries a death sentence, I'm on my way to expiring, Dyson has been a lone wolf for centuries. Fae or human, we're _all_ designed with our tragedies." Tamsin batted back, sensing that this was obviously a subject that had been eating away at the girl's mind for a long time.

"...I'd get to live longer though, I mean, advanced aging can't be bad, right?"

"That depends on the type of person you are." The valkyire gave a glance across to the seated mortal next to her. "You would have to watch everyone that you care for die, family, friends. Humans. The world as you knew it would change in time, and you'd be chained to it." She focused her eyes on Kenzi, as though she was trying to see where her mind was at. When no imminent response was going to be given, therefore, she proceeded. "Look, I'm not trying to be a killjoy. I have no right to stop you, but I will say this, your humanity is Bo's heart. It's provided you with a sense of warmth and comfort that Fae will never have. She loves you just the way you are, you don't have to change to try and fit into her world. You _are_ her world, haven't you realized that by now?"

Wow, these two were having a lot of 'heart to heart' conversations today, but the blonde just didn't believe that Kenzi had to change what she was in this world. Being a human amongst Faes made her one of a kind as it was. "I'm her world, and she's yours, right?"

The girl's question was so sudden that it had caused her to meet the valkyrie's gaze for a second time. She had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

Tamsin grunted to herself before she faced the front again, "You're still chasing that old ghost, huh?" She tried to make it sound as though she didn't give one care about the newest topic at hand. "Survival is the only thing that means anything to me."

"Wow, sometimes you suck at lying." Kenzi rolled her eyes lightly before she gave the blonde a small pat on the shoulder. She could see straight through whatever front she felt that she needed to build up. It must have been hard for the detective to have to keep a tightly wound lock around her emotions like that. "I know you're running from this as if it's going to kill you, but the world isn't going to end if you find a little happiness."

"I'm not running from anything Kenzi. I don't run." The blonde was evidently frustrated, but she knew that the mortal meant no harm, she was trying to do something decent - in her own little way.

"I've seen you, you know, the way that you look at Bo when you think no one is paying attention. Even in The Dal on a crowded night, you stare at her like she is the only thing that exists in the world."

Tamsin ended up giving another small groan of protest, "God, why couldn't you just focus on getting drunk like everyone else?"

"Two reasons. A; I'm too awesome for that. And B; I think you're way better for my BoBo than Lauren."

"Great, I've got the succubus' sidekick as a fan...just wait until I tell the rest of the world, they'll be green with envy." The valkyrie was using her sarcasm as a deflective tactic towards the whole subject.

Kenzi wasn't one to quit so easily though, she kept her gaze locked onto the driver, refusing to look elsewhere quite yet. "Let me express my superior wisdom. When Dyson and Bo first started tearing up the sheets, they were non-exclusive, banging anyone else that they wanted. When doctor hotpants made her move, it was to distract Bo. And not only that - but she had a comatosed girlfriend that she returned to. My bestie has trouble with true commitment." The girl was rambling, using various hand gestures to emphasize a few of the finer points. "But you...I haven't ever seen you look at another person. Shit, you're more devoted to Bo and the two of you aren't even a thing." Raising her hand, she knocked her knuckles softly against the side of Tamsin's head. "Hello? Earth to valkyrie, doesn't that say something?"

The detective was growling very lowly to herself, but she wasn't sure whether it was out of further stress of just because she had another person in this world who was trying to read her. "Remind me why I saved your ass again?"

" 'Cause you're a bitch that actually does have a heart? And also because you need someone to agree with all of your little quips about Lauren."

"Hmph." Tamsin didn't answer after that, she just let her lips curl into a faint smirk at the comment regarding the doctor.

"She's going to be pissed at you for stealing her wheels you know."

"That's what I'm hoping for. If she wears anything less than a scowl I'm going to be disappointed." Concluding her words there, she soon pressed her foot down onto the brake and stopped the car's motion. After the time that this interesting discussion had taken, the two females were back in the heart of the town, outside the very familiar building in which rendezvous were usually held at. "What do you know, it's not even past sundown yet, which means that Dyson owes me a free drink." Tamsin's voice was returning to it's usual tone of sultriness as she got out from the car. Once the door was closed, she made her way around to the passenger's side to help the injured girl out. After all, Kenzi was still hopelessly stumbling, although it wasn't half as bad as it had been before. Probably because they weren't fighting for their lives.  
She wrapped an arm around the human's waist, and in turn, allowed her shoulder to be hugged into for a form of support. "Come on, hobbly." Using a cheap nickname, she merely smirked and guided the scoffing girl over to the front door. Inwardly, she was experiencing some anticipation, but she could mask it perfectly; which was the same technique that she could use with pretty much on all of her emotions. When they were inside of The Dal, the journey hadn't been a wasted effort. The succubus was very present, along with the doctor, Dyson and Trick. Obviously Hale was probably attending some other business. It wasn't as if anyone knew about this surprising visit.

On first sight though, Tamsin could see that Bo and Lauren were exceptionally close to one another. They were by the bar counter, the brunette glancing somberly at the drink in her hand whilst her girlfriend altered between rubbing her shoulder and tucking a stray lock behind her ear; affectionately. _'I knew I should've wrecked the car while I had the chance,'_ the valkyrie's thoughts were on a hostile train already. After the day that she had just had, the last thing on earth she needed was a reminder of her frequent unattainable goal.

"Geez, who died?" Kenzi threw random words out, jokingly, as if she had no idea what the gloomy atmosphere was about.

The sound of her voice had immediately caused the succubus to glance directly across her shoulder, and upon sight of her best friend, she nearly dropped the glass in her hand. "Kenzi?" The one name was spoken with a flood of disbelief as she sprung up from the seat. "Oh my god, Kenzi!" And how quickly a flood turned into a whirlwind of emotion. She abandoned the wooden stool and raced forward with such a speed that an athlete would find threatening.

Unwilling to get caught up in some sappy, overdramatic reunion, Tamsin released her hold onto the mortal and took a clear step back. Her actions were masterfully timed as she saw how Bo rushed into Kenzi, drawing her into a suffocating embrace.

"You're back? You... you're safe." The succubus was stroking her friend's back and giving small squeezes to make sure that this was real - that it was actually happening. "I thought I would never see you again, I - I've missed you so, so much." It wasn't long until her gaze had fallen over the sight of the valkyrie. She was lost for words, her heart kept playing with her in ways that she thought it would kill her. Tamsin was giving an awkward glance elsewhere, as though she didn't want to be a part of this tearful atmosphere. But that was typical. The mushy stuff wasn't really her scene.

"I'm fine Bo." Kenzi answered, smiling brightly now that she was caught up in a hug from the sister she never had. Maybe now she realized that Tamsin was had a point, being a human _wasn't_ so awful if it meant that she played an important role in Bo's life. It was nice to be wanted for the person she had always been; as opposed to anything she could ever become. "A little near to suffocating, but other than that, I'm fine." She said in her usual humored way, although it soon caused the succubus to pull back so that she could stare her in the eyes.

"Sorry, but I've just... I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here." Bo added, honestly as always.

By now Dyson had approached the younger girl, as had Lauren, in order to fully show their appreciation to having their friend back safe and sound. "It's good to see you again, Kenz." The male's voice was as deep as usual, but it carried a relevant softness about it as he wore a small smile down to the female. "You gave us all quite the scare."

In the background, Tamsin rested her hands against her hips, watching her feet. These people were a sort of family of friends and she wasn't a part of that, so she sure as hell didn't plan on imposing. She just wanted to get cracking into the drinks, which she had been deprived of over these past two hellish days.

"Well..." Kenzi began to give a response to what had been said to her, but while doing so, she began to take a few strained steps backwards, wearing an everlasting smile of glee across her features. It hadn't escaped her notice that her savior was trying to blend into the background as though she wanted to be a ghost. So, when she was stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the blonde, she reached down and took a hold of her wrist, before raising their arms. "...ladies and gents, I give you my champ."

The valkyire's eyes became wide when she found that she was being dragged into this. Although, of course, she appreciated the way that the girl was expressing the highest form of gratitude possible. Tamsin was visibly awkward at the way her arm was being held up as though she had won some great war. She looked anywhere but the succubus - because even now she could feel Bo's heavy gaze on her, and it was crushing. "It was nothing, barely a challenge-"

"Barely a challenge, she says. Ha, she was kicking ass like a pro! We've now knocked a whole brand of Fae right off of the food chain." Kenzi wasn't going to pass up the chance to give as much credit as she could for what had happened today. Perhaps this was her subtle tactic of trying to appease her best friend's sense of taste in lovers. "You three should've been there, you could've pulled up seats and watched, because it was pretty damn awesome."

Lauren's brow raised, a light frown resting along her features, because while she was glad for Kenzi's rescue, she also knew that there was still residing tension. "Oh, we would've joined...if I had a car to have driven us there, that is." Naturally she was going to touch upon that fact.

Tamsin was only willing to meet the doctor's sights, purely so that she could offer her a smug smirk. "You ought to take better care of your possessions, doc. You wouldn't want them falling into the wrong hands." Bringing the keys out from her pocket, she handed them across to the other woman, an air of confidence to her actions.

"Noted." The doctor responded through a disapproving voice, "a warning would have been nice, for future reference."

"I act on impulse. If I didn't Kenzi would be dead right now. No science needed to prove that." It appeared as though the two were on the road to clashing again, which wasn't a surprise at all.

Bo wasn't even acknowledging anyone apart from the valkyrie right now, it killed her that she couldn't just approach her. Not with the others around. She needed to get her alone, and it didn't help that Tamsin hadn't once made eye contact with her since she had stepped foot in here.

"You're hurt." The succubus blurted out the words before she could even consent to it. She sounded distressed. But it still wasn't enough to earn her a look from the detective.

"It's nothing compared to the other Fae. I've had worse." Tamsin answered, like she was under the impression that her injuries were just about as timid as a paper cut. She pushed on past and made her way to the bar, giving Dyson a light nudge as she done so. "I believe a brewski was promised?"

At her unfailing carefree attitude, the male could only give a grin towards the familiarity. "You've got it partner." He too made his way across to the counters, bringing up a hand to give his blonde comrade a well-deserved pat on the back. "So, apparently, suicide missions are your thing."

"Just a normal day in the life of a valkyrie I'm afraid."

"It wasn't only Kenzi that I was worried about today Tamsin. I'm glad you're back. I'd be lost without my partner." The shifter said as he took a seat down onto one of the stools next to the blonde.

"And here I thought you didn't want a new partner." Tamsin murmured back through a smirk as Trick brought over two bottles of beer, setting them upon the countertop. He gave the briefest smile and nod to show that he was grateful to the actions that had been taken today.

Dyson kept up with his charming grin, shaking his head, "Well, that was before I knew that it was possible for me to get paired up with someone so-"

"Powerful? Wonderful? Unrelenting? Valiant?" Tamsin was just casually listing through a random choice of words.

"All of the above." He wouldn't afford to settle for one in particular, not when all were able to be applied so strongly. "You really pulled through today. And like you said, no science involved, right?"

"Amen to that." Tamsin clicked her bottle against the male's, settled that he was happy with what she had been able to do today. Although, as she said, she hadn't done this for praise. It was free will to go on the rescue mission. She was just content to be able to sit down and indulge in a few drinks with her wolf buddy.

Bo had led Kenzi across to one of the sofas near the back so that she could lounge out, given her sprained ankle and all. Lauren would have accompanied, but she was paranoid about the condition of her car and so rushed out to check up on it, the poor woman. "You must be starving, do you want me to get you something to eat? You can choose anything you'd like." The succubus was always so caring to the young girl, she sat down next to her as close as she could, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to compensate for the lack of interaction they had lately.

The human shook her head, resting against her friend's shoulder. "That's already been taken care of. Tamsin made sure to get me too the nearest eating plaza as soon as she could. And note to self, I so need to tag along with her the next time she is going out for food."

Just hearing that the valkyrie had done more than was required to look after Kenzi, well, it made Bo's throat run dry at the back and she cast a longing set of eyes in the blonde's direction. "...that's...I'm - I'm glad."

For the next eight minutes, she was captured in a conversation with her best friend, listening to her details about what had gone on during her abduction, as well as hearing about a dozen different movie quotes thrown in as usual. Bo had missed the random babbling from the girl. Life hadn't been the same for those hours since she had discovered that Kenzi was capture. It threw her whole world out of balance, but only one person had restored it to it's natural order. And speaking of, the succubus could see that the blonde had departed for the restrooms. Her attention was caught so tightly that anything she heard had fallen onto deaf ears. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. "Excuse me, Kenz. I'll be right back." She said softly and rose from the seat so that she could chase after the same direction that the valkyrie had gone off in. Her steps were nervous and speedy as she rushed along the hall. When reaching the door designated for women, she pushed it open and slipped inside, letting it close on it's own. No one else was in the room other than herself and the stubborn female.

Tamsin had been by the sinks, attempting to use the water to rinse the blood from her hands, but she was distracted by the noise from the door. She paid one small look over, and when seeing that it was the brunette, she straightened her posture, becoming usually tense. "Don't tell me you've adopted some sort of staring problem?" Her words had come out as coldly as she had hoped. But to her greatest shock, she found that she had no time to prepare herself as Bo ran forward. The next thing she felt was the succubus' arms winding around her in a tight hug. Even tighter than she had given Kenzi, which must have said something.

"You idiot." Bo grasped at the blonde as strongly as she could, resting her chin upon her shoulder. She was speaking through gritted teeth, feeling her emotions beginning to fall apart in front of her. Through the next breath, she broke down a little more than intended. "I'm sorry."

The valkyrie was so caught off guard that she felt as though she was losing her ability to defend herself. Hearing the choked apology from the brunette was messing with her head. Damn it, she had wanted to be furious at Bo, at least for a while longer, but it was a challenge that became harder with each passing second. Tamsin wasn't an expert at embraces, especially to the same person that just teared her down from the inside without even being aware. She brought one hand up to give something of a pat to the other female's back.

"I'm so sorry." The succubus continued along the same words as she buried her face into the crook of the blonde's neck, "What I said to you, in the station... I... I didn't mean it." Her breathing was labored as she breathed in as much of the valkyrie's intoxicating scent as she could. Her fingers were gripping against the back of her shirt, as if she feared that letting go meant she would lose the other woman. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. When Dyson told me that you were going to save Kenzi, I felt numb. The thought of you dying, Tamsin, it... it hurt."

This wasn't what the detective had expected would happen, but she couldn't deny that it was something that she had wanted. It was nice to finally hear that the succubus regarded her life, that she cared. Even if it wasn't on the same scale that Tamsin's own feelings had branched out to, it was enough for now. Yet, why couldn't she answer? The way that Bo had turned her back on her earlier, in here and the station, it was still a fresh wound. "The thought of _me_ dying? Oh, pull yourself together succubitch. As if that would ever happen."

Bo didn't even care that the blonde was still probably irritated at their disagreement within the day, she just cuddled in closer to her, "Stop being so damn snarky all of the time. Look at you, you're a mess." She didn't even have to look, she could recall the bloodied appearance perfectly. The succubus was trailing her hands beneath the back of Tamsin's shirt, running her fingers along her spine. Having the skin-to-skin contact caused her breathing to hitch as she pressed her palms flatly against the flesh.

The closer contact left the detective struggling for an appropriate reaction, she couldn't explain why Bo was caressing her spine - but she could only assume it had something to do with a strange reassurance that she was still alive; her body warm with life. Her hands gripped firmer against the brunette's shoulders. The longer she remained captive in the arms of the succubus, the less resolve she had to pull away. She really did loathe the way her control could slip so easily when in the presence of the other woman - she became powerless. Bo's breath against her neck, her fingers crawling along her back, it was delirious. Tamsin could've melted and stayed like this - exactly like this - forever, but she soon found that reality gave her a harsh wake-up call. Being this close, she could smell the brunette's fragrance, as well, as the mixed scent of the doctor. _'Great, while I've been busy saving the day, they've probably been wrapped up in each other. Kissing. Touching'_. The sheer thought of them being together was enough to make the valkyrie's mind flip, she needed to break away. "Yeah, well, if you and your girlfriend weren't so naive, I might not have had to save Kenzi's ass by myself." She lowered her hands to grip gently against Bo's biceps, tugging her arms down before she stepped away from the burning hug.

Her brash words drew a look of hurtfulness into the succubus' hazel eyes; she seemed lost. "Tamsin, I...I said I was sorry, I'm trying to apologize for the way I acted." Bo made another attempt with her soft words, but she sounded less forward with it than she had done before.

"You're only 'sorry' because you thought I was going to die. If I hadn't undertaken the mission by myself, you'd still be pissed at me, right?" Okay, so maybe now the valkyrie was beginning to prove that she held a bigger grudge than she had been letting on so far. "As soon as Lauren opened her mouth, you turned your back on me. You didn't even give me a chance."

An unwanted lump had formed in the back of Bo's throat, she brought her hands up to cup Tamsin's cheeks, but the blonde was too quick to jerk away, like the touch would shock the life right out of her. It was agonizing to see that she was on the defensive again. "I wasn't thinking clearly, I just found out that my best friend was abducted, I needed to fix things with my girlfriend. I..."

"You put your priorities first." The blonde shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, keeping a look of normality on her face.

"Don't say it like that. I wish I had taken the time to work out a compromise, Kenzi's disappearance wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have singled you out."

"But you did it anyway, although I guess I should be giving you my gratitude." Tamsin was never an easy woman to decipher and even now, she was back to her distant ways. She had played along with this little game of being all dewy eyed with the succubus and she didn't want to be chained down by these foolish emotions any more.

The brunette was pale from regret and failure, she should have been ecstatic over her friend's return, but she knew that she must have wounded the blonde somewhere inside. It was never her plan to do so. "Your gratitude?"

"Yes, you see, for a while there I started to think that it might not have been such a bad thing to trust others. To work with them." It seemed obvious as to the tangent that her words were about to take, and so her brows creased into a small frown as she glanced across to the distressed female. "But, thanks to you, I now know that I can only rely on myself. Placing an ounce of faith into someone else is a foolish notion. You spared me from making a horrible mistake, Bo."

An air of defeat circled around the restrooms as the brunette took half a step back, her mouth open slightly, her eyes glimmering in a way that suggested she was being paid with some inner injuries of her own. "You're wrong, no one can survive in this world on their own Tamsin."

"I've been doing a good job so far." The valkyrie's reply was so rapid that it had clearly been thought out for a good minute or so. As if she could've predicted how the conversation would have played out.

"If you are half as bad as you paint yourself out to be, then why did you even bother to save Kenzi? She means nothing to you."

_'No, but you do.'_ Tamsin wished it could have been as easy as expressing her truths, but in reality she gave a thoughtless eye roll. "I was bored, I needed a challenge. Infiltrating an enemy stronghold sounded like it could be fun."

"I don't believe that for a-"

"I don't care what you believe, succubus. I don't care what you think, and I sure as hell don't care what you feel. If you want some cheap namby-pamby conversation then go and find your damn girlfriend. If you want some sentimental cuddle then go to your damn girlfriend. If you want some crappy reassurance and hopefulness about love and life then go to your damn girlfriend because I don't have any!" Tamsin's bottled anger had seeped over the edge, her teeth gritted and her hands curled tightly by her sides, as opposed to when she had her arms calmly folded over her chest. She didn't know what she was saying, her reactions just had a tendency to erupt out of her in harsh waves.

The aggressive outburst has certainly given a clear signal to the succubus, her bottom lip threatened to quiver, but she used whatever willpower she possessed to keep herself together. "Fine... if.." Pausing so soon, she inhaled brokenly, "if that's what you want then I'll go. I'll leave." Bo waited a moment to see whether or not she would have been asked to stay, but to her dismay, the request hadn't come. She turned around on her heels and made her way to the door through a series of timid steps.

Tamsin thought that she had handled things professionally where her pride was concerned, but she never experienced the relief that she was certain she would have got. The pain in Bo's face had torn her apart, because it wasn't something that she had wanted. And even now, her eyes were on the brunette's back, she was quite sure that she just saw her wipe along her eyes. _'Shit, shit, shit... she's not actually crying?'_ The valkyrie's thoughts were racing around to the worst places. _'Was I too harsh? Damn it. Damn, damn, damn.'_ She couldn't just leave things like this, could she? She didn't want to hurt the other female, no matter how much she felt as though it had been deserved. Revenge wasn't as sweet as she had wanted it to be. The detective found that she was storming across to the otherside of the bathrooms within the next second. The door had just been opened, but she closed the distance, pushed her hand forward and shoved it shut.

Startled, Bo's breath was caught in the back of her throat again as she tried to spin around. Her movements were made much easier when she felt that the valkyrie's hands gripped her shoulders, tugging her all the way until they were facing one another again.

Leaving nothing to chance, Tamsin crashed her lips into Bo's with enough force that the succubus ended up backing up against the door. It was intense, maybe a little too intense. Her hands moved to hold the succubus' cheeks, but the strength was so much that she could feel the woman's head shake, slightly.

The brunette was instant to reciprocate, she threw her arms around the valkyrie's neck and parted her lips to make way for the other woman's tongue to invade her mouth; and as expected, it happened religiously. Teeth were clashing and bodily fluid was commingled as both females started a war for dominance. Bo knew that she was in a losing battle when up against the enraged blonde. A moan reverberated deep in the back of her throat as Tamsin's tongue thrashed wildly against her own muscle.

None of the kisses that the succubus had experienced had been so bruising before, but she soon came to learn that it was quite an addiction. The valkyrie lips were determined against her own, and she was moving her mouth along with just as much fire.

When oxygen was required after what felt like an eternity, the brunette was the one who had submitted and broke the contact, reduced to a panting mess. Her mind was robbed of it's usual coherency.

"I hate you for doing this to me." Tamsin was mumbling furiously against Bo's lips, barely taking the time to even consider catching her breath. She blindly forced another kiss upon the gasping woman. Her fingers were running down the succubus' cheeks and raking along her jaw. Really, she was a bundle of confusion; both annoyed and foolishly devoted to the same person in this world. Life would have been so much simpler if these cursed feelings didn't exist.

Her obsession for needing to keep control was challenged when she felt Bo's hands claw at her shoulders, progressing to grab a lethal hold of her shirt. She was suddenly being backed across somewhere else in the room, but she couldn't see where. Not with the way the succubus denied breaking the kiss. The valkyrie ended up knocking into the side wall of the first cubicle stall, causing her to groan lightly.

"And I hate you for making me care." Bo growled, making a small intermission, before her lips attacked Tamsin's, twice as ravenously.

"You are the most-" The valkyrie's words were muffled amidst the continuous bombardment of kisses, "-infuriating woman-" She swiped her hands down to clutch as Bo's hips, urging her, again, to the wall next to them, "-I have ever met."

Tamsin's victory of pinning the succubus was short lived as she was met with a rapid retaliation. The brunette twisted their position, reversing the roles until she had slammed the blonde's back into the same wall. Bo could sense that none of them were going to be satisfied with being in the weaker stance. Before another movement was made, she grabbed at the detective's wrists, battling against her need to struggle.

_'Thank God, she's too exhausted from saving Kenzi',_ Bo thought in a spree of relief as she managed to force the detective's hands against the wall. The trials of the day made it less taxing for her to win. "Stop fighting me." She uttered seriously against Tamsin's lips, and every time she felt that the valkyrie attempted to try and nudge her back, she ended up thrusting her pelvis into the blonde's to keep her in place. She needed her stuck.

The charged atmosphere between the two of them probably wasn't going to go unnoticed; not when dents had been left in several areas of the walls in the room.

"Stop fighting me, Tamsin." Bo repeated through a softer voice, as she breathed heavily, tired from the recent tussling. She ghosted her lips along the valkyrie's jaw, to her ear. "Stop." If needed she could have used her powers to aid her, but she knew that for all of Tamsin's instability to be controlled, she was also able to be tamed by a light touch - from the right person. The blonde would do just about anything she asked, whether she even recognized it or not.

A huff of bad sportsmanship escaped the detective as she gave up in trying to free herself, unwillingly resting against the wall instead. She closed her eyes tightly, her chest heaving. Bo's mouth was hovering against her neck and it was driving her crazy inside. As to what the hell had just happened, she had no idea. Her own torment had sparked this whole thing off. She knew that it was stupid of her to initiate it in the first place; it made it too obvious that she felt something for the succubus.

"I never meant to hurt you." The brunette whispered as she caressed her lips along the pale flesh beneath. The lighter touch made the detective squirm, so she pressed tighter into her to keep her in place.

"I know." Tamsin got her response out through a single breath, she had no room in her heart for forgiveness - but Bo was knocking a space in somehow. She had taken the sledgehammer and began to crack into the walls again, oh joy.

"Do you care about what I believe?" Now Bo felt the need to get the truth out of the valkyrie, regarding the spiteful comment she had said not too long ago.

"...yes." Thought contradicting herself, the blonde was stuck in the same trance as always, where no matter how far and fast she tried to run, she was eventually caught under the same old spell.

"Good answer." The succubus was rewarding as she began to trail her warm lips up the side of Tamsin's throat, she could sense the way that it made her aura flare up like a nova. "Do you care about what I think?" Her questions resumed as she nipped gently against the skin.

There was a delay in response, as a small moan was drawn from the detective, she regretted letting such a noise slip, but it couldn't be helped. Whatever game the brunette was playing with her, it was grudgingly arousing. "Yes." She repeated the same answer as before, and it became evident that she was going down the right path when she felt her pulse point being imprisoned between Bo's lips, in a sensual sucking motion. It didn't ease the problem that was being created low within her groin, her fingers were stretching and then curling into fists as a way to try and distract herself from the pleasure.

Bo was aware of the alleviation and so slipped her hands up to grab at Tamsin's, she interlocked their fingers and immediately felt the strong and desperate grip from the valkyrie. It alerted her that these small tokens of affection she happened to be paying out were effective. Very effective. She immersed in the taste of the detective's smooth flesh in her mouth and then soothed her tongue over the same area. Again, it made her jolt. The succubus drifted her lips upwards, only stopping when she reached a perfect ear. "And, do you care about how I feel?" She emphasized the last syllable by grinding her hips and body up firmly against her captive's. The friction being deliciously rough.

"Yes!" It was an abrupt reply to give, escaping in a sharp gasp, but the valkyrie wasn't able to process any constant thoughts. Her heart had made her susceptible to giving into the other female's charms. No succu-powers were even needed, it was purely natural.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Bo's words were spoken through a gentle smile as she pulled back so that she could look into Tamsin's eyes - but her gaze wasn't met, which was pretty predictable by now. "The world hasn't ended."

The blonde scoffed stubbornly as she glared at the nearby sink, it embarrassed her to realize how she had given in to the succubus, it was becoming a bothersome routine. She would prime the ice casing around the organ beating rapidly in her chest, only for Bo to come along and ruin all of her work by melting it. Christ, it was horrible.

"Tamsin, look at me." Bo requested, using her trademark voice of gentleness to coax the other female. She had been picking up on the fact that she was able to see a different side to the valkyrie; one that was hidden from the world. One that didn't have to be a constant pillar of strength. "Please."

Damn it, there was that word again. It was like an automatic decider that Tamsin would comply. And thus, she brought her sights back so that she was staring at the brunette. Her own gaze was intense and uncertain, while Bo's was warm and filled with kindness.

"You've been through a lot today, so you're going to come home with me tonight. And you are going to let me take care of you, aren't you?"

"I don't need anyone to take-"

"Aren't you?" Bo repeated, squeezing softly against Tamsin's hands. She wasn't going to take no for an answer this time around. The blonde had evaded her so many times in the past, but not now. Whether she liked it or not, she wasn't allowed to be left on her own tonight.

"Yes...?" Honestly, the valkyrie couldn't help but give an answer that was fraught with an undecided emotion.

"I'll be damned, you're just giving all the right answers today."

* * *

Well, well, finally some Valkubus is back into the mix. Poor Tamsin, she never knows whether she is coming or going where Bo is concerned, does she? ;D

Although at least she's gotten herself a free ticket to spend the night with her favorite succubus - hmm, I wonder how that is going to play out. I'm sure Bo might want to express a little more gratitude, in her own way. x]

(Reviews. c':)

_TheJojo99_ - Tamsin defines badass, you're right about that my friend. And I love trying to write about her interaction with Kenzi, because the two of them have quite a bit in common where wit is concerned. And rest assured, Bo is finally beginning to open her eyes and realizes how strong this connection of hers is with everyone's favorite valkyrie. Who knows where it is going to lead between them both. ;D

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Kenzi does see things that others don't. Which is another thing she has in common with Tamsin. And you're right about that, I can see Lauren wanting to take some 'revenge' for the whole car theft. x]

_manning16_ - Oh, thanks so much! I'm glad to hear that you love this fic, it just motivates me to write more and more. It's awesome to know that you like the rambling too - I'll be sure to always continue it, thanks to your support! :')

_shannon1419_ - Ah, me too! They can either be sweet or hilarious together, but either way, I think they'll definitely get along. c'x

_summersunshine8_ - THANK YOU! XD I'm always so happy to hear that I'm doing some justice to Tamsin. I adore her as a character, and I appreciate the compliment, it's very kind. :'D

_ThomasinaL_ - I can see Kenzi trying to set Bo and Tamsin up together; like she's going to be a total menace when Lauren is nearby. ;D

_Khrat9_ - Well, again, thank you so much, I'm ecstatic that you're enjoying all of the chapters so far. Rambling is good, rambling is fun! xD  
I'm glad you got the 'warrior' vibe from Tamsin's mission, as you said, she took it as it came and done everything on her own terms. The fact that Kenzi is Bo's best friend always made her so determined to succeed no matter what. Survival is her key instinct in the world.  
I've enjoyed touching upon the Kenzi/Tamsin moments, even in this recent chapter, with Kenzi thinking that, as a human, she will never be good enough. And ironically, it is someone like Tamsin who levels with her on the hardships that makes the life of a Fae less appealing. I'm hoping that the two of them are going to get a lot of time together during season 4, especially if piggbacks are involved! ;D  
As for Tamsin's feelings for Bo, she can't control them, and as hard as she tries, she can't just bury them either. She could spend an entire day furious about it, but as soon as she sees the succubus give one smile, she is caught all over again. I don't think she has been taught on how to cope with such strong feelings, which is why she is so intent on shielding herself.  
The danger in their lives seems to have settled down for now, but we both know that it isn't going to last forever, I'm sure our girls are going to have a lot more problems coming their way in the near future - but I shall try not to give spoilers. :D

_Guest_ - Merci, my dear guest. I certainly can't wait to write more for you to read! xD

_Evelien_ - Thank you very much, I'm always very thrilled to read your reviews. :'D  
I live in Scotland, so my updates seem to come during random times. Some nights I'm usually write until about , but then I get so motivated that I end up getting to the end of the chapter, so I post it as soon as I can. Time be damned, I love giving you stuff to read as soon as I can. I can sleep when I'm dead! x'D  
But it's awesome to hear that you can read my work in your bed, I done the same thing when I used to read fanfic myself. xP

_FlipChick23_- Tamsin always pulls through at the end of the day, doesn't she? So I'm pretty sure Kenzi is always going to be thankful to her for that. c':


	8. When Passions Collide

"Oh Queen of the night.

Well she is deep inside.

_(she could be mine)_

She is haunting me."

Skin of The Night, _M83_

* * *

The remainder of the evening inside of The Dal had been extremely tense. Of course, when the two women had eventually left the restrooms and had engaged in idle conversation with the rest of the group, it was just...difficult. Mainly for Tamsin. For the next hour she had sat around a table with the 'happy sunshine' gang. On her left was Dyson, and her right, Kenzi. Across from her was the succubus and the doctor. Both of them being as tender as ever with one another. It was a bizarre situation - as if the kissing war she and Bo had experienced hadn't even happened at all. The taste of the woman fresh on her lips was the only reminder that it was a reality, but other than that, she was lost. Naturally, she didn't expect that the succubus was going to just make some announcement about what had gone on - so what was going on between them? A continual tryst? Or did the brunette just like keeping her under control? Under the thumb, as it were? The valkyrie felt perpetually subservient. No matter what she experienced, physically or emotionally, she was always going to be left watching Bo walk into the arms of Lauren. Whether it was in an hour, a day, a week, the two always ended up together.

And the blonde ended up with no one - other than her own shadow.

Guilt and longing were her reoccurring company in this world. The two things that never truly left her.

As expected, when it had been time for everyone to part their ways, Lauren had departed to her home - left in the dark about the fact that her girlfriend was dragging another female into her own house tonight. And, as for Kenzi, well, Dyson had offered to take her to the nearest hospital so that she could get her ankle fixed, whether that would be by a bandage of full cast on her foot. Obviously, that meant that the valkyrie and the succubus were going to be alone in a building, together, for goodness knows how long. They had left from The Dal about seven minutes ago. And the atmosphere was strained. None of them were speaking straight away. Tamsin didn't have the greatest track record of kick-starting a conversation, and to be honest, she was caught in a whirlwind of confusion. _'She can kiss me and cuddle back into the doc's arms all in the same hour...?'_ Her inner questions were eating her up inside. She knew that Bo cared for her, but she also knew that she just didn't care enough. Their feelings were on different levels completely.

"So..." The brunette's mouth opened, an attempt at normal talk feeling appropriate. "How many of those Fae did you actually kill?" It may not have been the most exciting question ever, but it was a start.

Yet, the topic had flown right across the valkyrie's head, she had something more urgent on her mind. Ignoring whatever had just been said to her, she glanced at the succubus as words broke free from her own lips. "Why didn't you tell the good doctor that you invited me home with you?"

Bo, having not anticipated a sudden change of subject, wore a look of puzzlement. She contemplated a justifiable explanation, and when she had come up with one, she didn't mind sharing to an honest extent, "She would have gone right off the rails. If I let you go back to your motel room, alone, I'd have felt guilty. And if I told Lauren that I was bringing to home so that you could be cared for, for the night, she wouldn't understand it. Does that make sense to you?"

"Yeah, I guess it does. You were sparing her feelings." Tamsin could see that from a mile away. It was just depressing that her own emotions weren't as safeguarded like that. The doctor didn't have to know. And the valkyrie would still be present in the succubus' house. Bo was getting the best of both worlds right now, it appeared.

"I'm trying to, yes. She has been through a lot lately." Continuing on, the brunette's eyebrows soon knitted and she kept an eye onto the detective. "And so have you. I've not forgotten that. You put yourself through hell and back to save my best friend. That means the world to me, it really does."

"Well, to be honest, it's not like I've got anything better to do. Saving the kid...at least it gave me a purpose for a while." The irony would never cease; an arrogant valkyrie who appeared to consider herself expendable if need be. She was on her way to expiring, so it made sense for her to throw her life on the line compared to anyone else who still had a long shot in this world. For the woman walking next to her, she could make those sacrifices.

Bo didn't know why, but it unsettled her to hear how - in reality - the blonde was much too hard on herself. "You don't need a 'purpose' to be able to live, to enjoy life."

"I'm a valkyrie, Bo. We exist to serve. It's an embroidered part of our existence." Contrasting what the brunette had just said to her, the detective was then reduced to giving a small sigh. "Without the need to serve, what good is a valkyrie?"

The succubus stopped in her steps, which in turn caused Tamsin to also pause her walking. "You don't have to exist for some noble line of duty. You're more than that, you just haven't learned how to live in any other way. Strip away all of the responsibilities and laws of a valkyrie for a moment; how does it make you feel? Free, right?"

"_Lost_, actually." The blonde countered, she wasn't trying to be difficult about this. She was aware that she was a walking contradiction. She claimed to be worthless without a goal in the world, yet she regarded herself with too much pride to take orders from another. For instance, she would never lower herself to answer the demands of someone like Lauren, or Trick, or Hale. And, in a sense, she had even gone against The Morrigan during the 'dark Fae in a coma' conclusion.

And why? For _Bo_.

Maybe that was her new purpose within this lifecycle. Existing to serve, to protect and to sacrifice everything for the unaligned succubus wasn't such a bad way to go. She may have been hired as a mercenary, but that had all taken a curveball when she had developed her fondness over the other female. She could do anything for her, without a second thought.

"Living a life without obligations may be better than you think." Bo pointed out factually, speaking from experience. She openly lowered her hand to take a hold of Tamsin's and proceeded to walk forward, intending to reach the house as soon as she could.

The contact came with it's usual spark, causing the valkyrie to want to run from it, but she didn't. She just went along and even allowed the woman's fingers to intertwine with her own. So, this was what it was like to walk hand-in-hand with someone during a cool evening? Tamsin was sure that most googly eyed people would consider it romantic. To her, it was foreign, and it buzzed a small warmth into her heart. Just when she felt as though she figured the brunette out, she was always shown to be mistaken.

Bo appeared happy, like some young lively girl as she bounded along the street, tugging the tense valkyrie along with her.

Tamsin's mind drifted above the cloud of reality and into her deeper analysis over everything, as she was guided across the street and to the familiar, albeit, rundown building. She kept chasing circles. The succubus claimed to love the doctor, beyond words, but she could so easily offer these small shows of affection that made the valkyrie feel as though she was actually worth something. There so many questions that she knew she should ask, but she refused to go there, simply because anything she wanted to say would only make her appear as though she was jealous.

"Here we are." The brunette smiled as she unlocked the front door as though it was a chore she didn't even have to think about. Once she had turned the rusted handle, she entered and led her female companion for the night in with her. It must have been colder outside than she had though, when given that there was a soothing warmth inside. She pushed the door shut afterwards and then made her way further into the room.

"Wow, it's just as dull in here as I remember." Tamsin remarked through a scrunched nose, and she appeared to earn herself a playful hand squeeze from the succubus.

"Hey, this is home, so be nice. Besides, it's an upgrade compared to that motel of yours, wouldn't you say?" Bo teased as she led her way over to the couch. She took it upon herself to urge the valkyrie down into a seated position, before she joined her.

The detective couldn't help but look stiff as if she was in the arctic, she was always uptight when she felt out of her comfort zone. "I never got around forming an opinion on it. Oddly, enough, I was distracted." She made a hint toward the fact that her attention had been occupied on the drunken state that the succubus had been in that very night.

It was relatively simple for Bo to understand the meaning, and she was struck by a realization that caused her to frown. "Wait, when was the last time you actually slept? You've been on your feet all day, aren't you exhausted?"

"Sleep is for the weak, I don't need it." In a literal truth, the valkyrie had not really rested since the night she had first healed the succubus within the gym at the station. It had been stuck in her head all night, and then there was the next day where she had to take care of the inebriation problem. So, she had been awake beyond forty-eight hours by this stage.

"You sure look like you could use a couple of hours." The brunette leaned closer to the other female, inspecting her in a way that she knew had her on edge. "Is it physically possible for you to relax?"

"I don't know, is it physically possible for _you_ to quit bugging me with so many questions all of the time?" Tamsin retorted, an indecent air to her as usual. She had a much blunter way of putting things.

"I only ask because you aren't the type of person who ever lets the world in. I can't read you Tamsin. I want to. But I can't."

"Good, just the way I like it."

Bo rolled her eyes at the arrogant comment, some things never changed, obviously. As much as she would love nothing more than to get into one of her usual bickering sessions with the woman, over absolutely nothing, she did happen to invite her here to provide her with care. "Well, I said I was going to look after you tonight, so that means no tension."

"No tension? Care to expand...? Because just about everything you do stresses me to death." Grinning bitterly at the end of her words, she took note of the pleased and creative glimmer in the other female's eyes.

"It just so happens that the best way we're going to relieve all of that pesky tension is if I give you a massage." Bo suggested - though it was more of a fact that this idea was set in stone.

"Ha, a massage? Nice joke." The valkyrie tried to laugh it off at first, expressing how ridiculous she found the notion, but she wasn't thrilled to see the way that the succubus kept wearing the same amused smile. "Oh, no. No way, you can't be serious."

Like most reactions that the blonde gave, Bo found the reclusive side to her rather adorable. She huddled closer to her on the couch, stroking her fingertips along her arm. "I'm dead serious. Darling, you need to give your body a break."

_Darling_, the common pet name sent a shiver straight down Tamsin's side. Either that, or it was just a reaction toward the stroking against her bicep. Both, probably. "I'm fine, I don't need some girly massage, honestly, I'm saving you a lot of trouble here, you should be thanking me."

"I don't want to thank you - I want to touch you."

After Bo had spoken, she pursed her lips into a thin line, allowing the moment of awkwardness to run it's course before she cleared her throat, "Well, that sounded less lesbian inside of my head."

Tamsin's tilted her head, in a way to give a semi-nod of ungainliness. "I bet a lot of things sound better inside of your head, it's just so sad that they can't stay there. It'd give me a lot less migraines."

"You're always such a charmer, aren't you?" The succubus purred through a tone of sarcasm, although it didn't take long for her to catch onto the fact that the valkyrie had been changing the topic of conversation. "But, no matter, I still want you do something nice for you. So, come up. Chop, chop, upstairs we go." Bo clapped her hands together twice, to emphasize her need to move location, she stood from the couch and took a hold of the blonde's wrists.

"God, you're not still talking about this useless massage are you?" Tamsin groaned miserably as she felt herself being tugged from the sofa. She was barely putting in the effort to stand up herself, but the brunette was persistent enough to get her on her feet.

"You won't be calling it useless in a few minutes, I can guarantee that." Neither of the two were ever really aware of how much they argued like some old married couple, so it was probably a good thing that no one else was around, otherwise, these unconscious flirts would be noticed easily. Bo was starting to walk backwards, guiding the unenthusiastic valkyrie along with her. "Stop pouting, you're acting like you're going to war."

"That would be more preferable." Tamsin mumbled, holding a longing air to her words as she was pulled along toward the stairs.

"I'll tell you what, if you just try this then I'll give you a free beer."

"If you think that you can buy me over with some-"

"Two beers!"

"Done."

Well, that was quickly resolved, and the succubus could only wear a grin of triumph across her lips; noting to herself that bargaining in drinks equaled success. She led all the way to the top floor and along the hallway until she reached her bedroom. Granted it was her most favored place to bring back others for an intimate feed, hence why it had a sort of homely, albeit, luring feel to it. She kept her eyes on the blonde, observing how she looked just as uncomfortable as ever. It was as if she wasn't used to being in someone else's bedroom, by herself.

Of course, this hadn't been the first time the two were here - no, when they were infected with the parasite, alongside Dyson, they had been ordered to stay under this roof. Not that any of the trio could recall those events however.

"Something wrong, detective?" Bo rather enjoyed being able to torment the other woman through playful taunts.

Tamsin tried not to give the luxury of showing her true emotions, so she shrugged. "Not at all, I was just taking a moment to come to terms with what the lair of succubi actually looks like."

"A lair? Wow, you're original." Bo took a firmer hold of the valkyrie's hands and led her over to the bed. All of her actions were so sure, unlike that of her polar opposite's. "Most prey don't exactly walk straight into a lair though."

"Firstly, I was dragged. Secondly, I'm the furthest thing from prey and we both know that. I've always been the hunter, not the hunted."

"What you call a hunter, I call a control freak."

"So long as it paints the same picture, I don't care what you think of it as. I'm not normal, I'm not weak, nor will I ever pretend to be." Tamsin felt as though she should receive an award for the amount of times she had been forced to stand by her own pride; as if it were some loyal and endearing lifelong friend.

Bo was always unsettled to find that she was drawn into how stand-alone the valkyrie was. Never before had she met a person who had an ego on them the size of a mountain. The challenge that it presented was a great thrill ride. It was something to be conquered. And she'd be damned if she let anyone else beat her to the mark. Narrowing her eyes, she wore a coy smile and nodded her head once. "Take off your shirt."

"I beg your pardon?" Tamsin's brow had risen, a suspicious look upon her face as she pulled her hands back to herself.

"Stop acting like an alien about this, will you? It's routine. Skin to skin contact is the best method of efficiency for relieving tension." Bo's foot began to tap against the floor, that being a sign of growing impatience. "So, take off your shirt and get on the bed."

The valkyrie suddenly growled a little, crossing her arms over her chest. She turned up her nose and gave a refusing glance up at the corner of one of the four walls. "I don't take orders. I'm not removing a single article of clothing."

"You're impossible." Bo huffed in exasperation and took a step forward, she made an attempt to grab a hold of the blonde's top, but as soon as she got close, her hands were quickly swatted away. And because of that, the two of them were now growling. "What's the matter? Are you afraid to show a little flesh?"

Tamsin shook her head, confident yet stern. "I don't fear anything, I just have standards. Unlike you, I don't feel the need to flaunt my body to everyone."

"That's just a short way of calling me a whore. So, thanks for that."

"You said whore, not me. But you're right in any case." The blonde began to grin, needing to regain her sense of self so that she wasn't some helpless puppy to this woman.

Although, Bo took a simple step forward, the front of her body brushing lightly against the detective's. "Funny, I can recall that you didn't seem to have a problem when it came to kissing this 'whore', or have you forgotten?"

Well, said grin was wiped rapidly from the blonde's eager lips. Her face now resembling that of someone who was guilty of an unmentionable crime. "That... that is easy to explain-"

"Do tell." The succubus pushed, keeping direct eye contact with Tamsin. Little did the valkyrie know that whilst she was being distracted by these words, her shirt was being unbuttoned, one by one, by the brunette's careful fingertips. Her actions were light, with barely any pressure. A thief would be in awe.

"Well, uh, you were just pissing me off." Tamsin was tossing together the first sense of drabble that entered her mind.

"And the reasonable solution was to push me up against the door and shove your tongue down my throat?" Bo refused to blink, wearing her usual charming grin as she got another button out of the way.

"I wanted to shut you up."

"Uh-huh, but if you recall, I was walking out of the room at the time, you had no need to chase after me to keep me quiet."

_'Jesus, it's like a disease with her... all of these stupid questions'_ Tamsin couldn't even think straight, let alone form a decent answer in reality. She was a victim to the other woman's continuation.

"Come on, Tammy, if you're going to give me a lie then at least make it believable." With her voice taking a keen turn at the end, she gave a rough tug with both of her hands - pulling the successfully opened shirt asunder. "Ah-ha. There we go."

Tamsin gasped, at the unexpectedly feeling of the cooler atmosphere touching her torso. Her eyes were wide as she glared down, seeing her own chest on advertisement. "You cunning bitch." She tried, in futility, to clutch at the material to cover herself, but the brunette had assumed as much and so tugged the material over her shoulders and down her arms until it pooled at the floor.

"And I thought nothing ever caught you off guard." Bo's eyes were roaming the pale flesh in front of her, scanning the white bra - which she found to be a tad odd. It wasn't a color she'd associate with Tamsin, given that it represented purity, but, she quite liked to discover these interesting little facts. It kept her guessing. Yet, those thoughts fled to the back of her mind when she looked at the visible injuries and bruising against some areas of the valkyrie; her sides, her shoulders. It was a wonder as to how the blonde was even standing right now. "Ouch, honey, these looks pretty sore."

There it was again, _honey._ Tamsin didn't intend to dwell on it so much, but she just liked how it sounded. Maybe that was sappy, although it also gave her the smallest insight onto how lovely it must have been to have a partner who would use such nicknames on a daily basis. "Well, I'd expect a delicate flower like you to say that, but they aren't that bad."

"Still, you might want to have Lauren take a look at these tomorrow." The succubus suggested, wincing as she saw the very painful looking claw mark against the blonde's side. The blood had dried and was more coagulated although it was still nasty to the eyes.

"Ha, yeah right. Like that'll happen, I'd rather tie a ball and chain around my ankle and hurl myself over the edge of a very, very, high waterfall."

"What is your problem with her? She's a nice woman. What do you have against her?"

_'Well, she has __**you**__. Do the math.'_ Tamsin thought bitterly, but on the outside she shrugged her shoulders. "She is a human of science. I am a valkyrie of survival. She has logic, I have faith. Her beliefs and morals are at the opposite end of the spectrum to my own."

"So, does that mean you hate her? I don't understand."

The detective let the thought run in her head, perhaps searching for an answer herself first. "No, I wouldn't go as far as to say that I hate her. I just don't happen to get along with her."

"Oh, I'm sure the two of you have at least something in common though."

"I'm sure we do." There was no use in the valkyrie disagreeing when she knew that the only thing she and the doctor could relate to happened to be their high regard for a certain succubus.

Bo watched the blonde, wanting to fathom out what the deeper meaning to her words was. She had a good idea, after all, she wasn't short sighted, Tamsin had kissed her. Tamsin had saved her life. Tamsin was always there. "Okay, I don't want to add to your stress by talking about my girlfriend, so lets get this underway." She forced up a small smile as she signaled over to her bed.

Like before, the detective was reluctant as she took a step forward, the thought of not being in full control wasn't something she could admit to being fond of. "Wouldn't you prefer if I gave you a shoulder rub instead? You probably need it more."

"No, no, no. This isn't about me." The succubus' smile was coy again, it was sweet that the blonde would rather put her needs first, but she wouldn't let it happen on this occasion. She gave the other female a small poke in the side, urging her to the bed. "You do want those drinks, don't you?"

Tamsin gave a gentle scoff and crawled onto the mattress, laying down onto her stomach, she folded her arms in front of her, resting her chin upon her wrists. Her eyes were on the wooden headboard at the back of the bed. She was trying to concentrate, although, that was soon disrupted when she felt movement next to her, which was followed by the light weight of Bo straddling the bottom of her spine, over her tailbone. The position caused her to squirm. Although it was nothing compared to the way that the clasp at her bra had been undone. Then, her gaze simply froze. "Bo..." She said in a voice of questionable warning.

"Yes?" The brunette's reply was innocent, as though she saw no problem to what she was doing. She pried the strap of the undergarment to the sides, forcing the valkyrie to have to shift slightly in order for it to be removed completely. "There, much better."

The detective was in a state of disbelief, "wait just a second, I think I should put that back on-" Her words came to a short stop, as when she tried to reach out to grab her bra, she found that it was simply tossed across to the wooden counter at the other side of the room. Tamsin watched the item through a gaze of yearning before she pouted and rested her cheek against one of the pillows. Her arm remained stretched out, laying loosely in the direction of where her beloved brassiere had been thrown.

The succubus was finally settled in a comfortable position and so she put an end to the waiting game and placed her hands against the valkyrie's back. To begin with, she stroked along the length of her spine, smiling at the feel of the smooth skin. It was flawless, really. "Wow, you have more tension than I first thought."

"Oh, you have no idea..." Tamsin mumbled, becoming twice as taut with the way that the brunette's touch was tickling down her flesh. This wasn't something that she was used to at all. It was nice, yet, if it were anyone other than Bo then she would have torn their face off by now.

"Just try to relax." The succubus chuckled as she pressed her palms flatly below the valkyrie's shoulderblades, she began to kneaded into the flesh, thoroughly. Already she could feel the tight muscles, and she started to work against them, trying to undo the stressful knots and jars.

Tamsin reacted by closing her eyes tightly, she was gripping at the bedsheets as if she wanted to use it as a way to cope with the new sensations. She wasn't able to deny that it was enjoyable. Her breathing was ragged, a little, and she fought whatever urges were tempting to be lured out of her.

Bo could see the change immediately, but it didn't stop her, in fact, she slid her hands lower, down to the blonde's sides, repeating the same firm motions with her hands. The ball of her palms pushed into the flesh; her fingertips rubbing in slow circles. She kept her eyes on the perfect form beneath her, deliciously viewing how truly desirable the detective was. Tamsin happened to be a woman or war and action; a fighter, not a lover. So, her body was designed to look like that of a warrior goddess. The succubus could feel a hunger beginning to well inside of her, a lust increasing to pay appreciation to such a paragon of femininity. She must have reached a sweeter spot somewhere near to the valkyrie's hipbones as she heard a very stubborn and gruff whimper of pleasure. It sent a tingle down her own body in the most wonderful way. "You make it look as though I'm torturing you."

It truly did probably look as though the blonde was battling for her sanity with the way that she was holding onto the covers like it was for dear life. "I can't help it. This is new to me and you happen to have very skillful hands." Tamsin hated to admit the last part, and it was even worse when she heard the way that it had drawn out a light laugh from the woman above her.

"Imagine that, the big bad valkyrie can fight an army of Fae, but the softest touch makes her flinch." Bo was beaming right now, ecstatic to discover the effect that she could cause.

"You have a nice touch." The detective uttered back, willing her body to try and relax under the efforts of the brunette. She wanted this to be worth something, to both of them.

"It's not just my hands that are soft you know." As anyone could imagine, the hint Bo made soon became a reality when she used her left hand to brush the blonde's hair over one shoulder. She leaned down, ghosting her lips against the back of Tamsin's neck; her warm breath bringing goosebumps to the skin instantly.

"...point...proven." It was evident that the valkyrie was out of her element with the current situation she found herself caught up in. From what she had gauged, the succubus appeared to delight in teasing her body. She could feel her breasts rubbing into her back the moment that her mouth had moved to her neck. _'God, she's killing me here_', there was no other way for Tamsin to put it. Against her judgement, it was hard not to become aroused.

Bo kissed along to the blonde's ear, being sure to pay attention to the sensitive and untouched just behind it. "Why do you have to be such a mystery to me, Tamsin?"

Honestly, the chances of the valkyrie giving a serious answer was blown out of the water the moment that she felt those damn kisses. She was chewing down on the inside of her cheek to resist giving any form of noise. "Bo, I'm not sure that this is a great idea." Tamsin was trying to grant a fair warning - because she wouldn't want to be held responsible for anything she done in the future. Her patience was being tested and she was trying with all of her might to hold it all in.

"And why would that be, detective?" The succubus seemed to ignore the words and whispered seductively into the shell of her unsteady companion's ear. Her mouth was touching weakly over the area while her fingers danced all the way down the blonde's sides. Oh, she could feel all of the valkyrie's muscles jump at the contact. Things were becoming heated and she couldn't fend off the need to push this just a little further.

"Because I hate it when you make me feel good." It became a habit that they weren't able to have normal, loving, conversations like two people should. Tamsin was always in an uphill battle with what she wanted. When she expressed her emotions, it was all through a disdaining vibe. To her, it qualified as torture.

"You've kept tight control for a very long time." Bo soothed her words next to the determined blonde, "but you still have needs. You don't have to pretend around me."

Well, Tamsin had given a caution for them not to go down this path - it was self destructive for her, for obvious reasons. However, the succubus could win with just a few reassuring words. The valkyrie shifted underneath Bo's weight, intending to turn herself onto her back. It was a task made easier when the other female had leaned back a bit to offer her the space to do so. The detective's arms were folded over her chest, covering her breasts, protectively. She didn't just give away eyefuls. But, heck, she had signed herself up for a defeat. As soon as she had a view of the smiling brunette above her, she was falling back into her usual trap. It started with admiration for how beautiful the succubus was - in every way - and then it progressed to a searing anger and envy that such beauty was claimed by Lauren. "Shit, I'm already on my way to hell, I might as well enjoy the ride..." Tamsin's words held several meanings, but she refused to expand. She merely shot her hands out and grabbed a hold of Bo's cheeks, drawing her in for another kiss of complete and utter surrender.

The succubus was surging with eagerness to reciprocate, her lips were always working hungrily against the blonde's. In these past two days her life had been flipped upside down. This blasted valkyrie was beginning to take siege over her thoughts. How could she be in a happy relationship and yet hold an insatiable desire for another? She was in-love with Lauren, but she was also unable to bear the thought of someone else winning Tamsin over. How was that fair at all?

Right now she was too enthralled in finally having the detective that she couldn't even focus on anything else in the world. Her hands were exploring the firm body, venturing up to the valkyrie's breasts - which she had craved to touch ever since removing the bra earlier. She cupped the tender flesh strongly, groping and kneading with a fiery intent. Tamsin was writhing underneath her, moaning as their tongues roved around in another battle. However, Bo planned on being the victor this time.

Although, Tamsin was never the type to want to lose, hence why she grasped at the brunette's shirt and literally tore it open without mercy. The buttons were scattered somewhere around the room, yet, she paid no attention to that and very quickly worked at ripping the bra from the succubus' torso with the same relentlessness instead. Once accomplished, she mimicked the same approach that had been taken to her own undergarment and gave it a careless throw elsewhere, other than the bed.

It took no more than three seconds until the two of them were already in some passionate warfare. Bo was kissing and biting her way down Tamsin's neck. And Tamsin was furiously dragging her nails down Bo's back. Both marking each other in different ways. Moans were running free from the valkyrie's lips when she felt the obsessive sucking against her pulse point._ 'Crap, she's found my weak spot again,'_ damn it, she knew that this was a sure way to make her become putty in the other woman's hands. She had to act on instinct and so ground her hips up and into the brunette's.

Bo ended up releasing a more aroused gasp than intended, "Oh." The syllable was laced in her sexual starvings. And it gave the valkyrie a split second to regain control. The next thing the succubus knew, she was being pushed over and onto her back, having the other female in the more dominant position atop her.

The detective's irises were glinting with an unshackled lust as she dove forward and used her lips to take full advantage of Bo's mouth again. Whenever they kissed it was as intense as two worlds colliding. One was aggressive and the other was unwavering. Tamsin slid her hands down and undone the button of the other woman's jeans. When slackened, she was tugging forcefully, hauling the material straight down the pair of immaculate legs until it too dropped to the ground, adding to the pile of growing clothes.

"This is hardly fair." Bo was mumbling in between the constant untamed smooching, her lips weren't left a second before she was on the awarded end of the valkyrie's tongue in her mouth. No one had even been so... addicted to her before? She didn't know the right word to use, but whatever it was, it was colossal. Tamsin's aura was burning worse than an inferno. Lauren and Dyson had never been so wild; so broken.

"I'll do anything to win," was all the valkyrie responded with, her insides were on fire and she knew that it was all of her emotions bursting from her. The stress, the depression, the loneliness. Whenever Tamsin's heart took over, her brain would shut down. If she ended up dying tomorrow, then at least she knew that she had Bo tonight.

Her next intention was to get rid of the other female's underwear, but she wasn't given the chance, not when the succubus was grabbing against her own jeans, yanking them down with just as much conviction. The blonde was hesitant about it, but she soon obliged and kicked the denim trousers off once they had reached her ankles. But that hadn't been the end of it, no, Bo had already struck when the iron was hot and also made a point of ridding the valkyrie of her underwear, in the same fashion.

"Looks like I got you stripped first." The succubus purred in pride, but it was a provoke that had riled the detective. In the next second she heard a 'snap' and she knew straight away that Tamsin had torn her panties straight from her. "You are such a sore loser..." She murmured as she captured the valkyrie's bottom lip between her teeth, tugging playfully. Now that they were both very nude, Bo didn't want to waste a single moment, she had fantasized about having the blonde like this so many times in the past. She coiled her legs tightly around her hips and tugged her down.

No room to breathe was left between the pair.

Tamsin was overwhelmed by the feeling of Bo's pelvis beginning to rock steadily against her own. "Bo..." She moaned the name as though it was a prayer - and in a way it was. All warmth in her body was spreading to her groin, and temptation won her over as she circled her hips, strongly.

In reply, the succubus was giving out her own groans of ecstasy due to the friction of the movement, hearing her name leaving the valkyrie in such a euphoric voice was so enticing that she became keen on wanting to listen to it fall more frequently. She rested her hands gently at Tamsin's sides and gave her a small nudge over, successfully reversing the positions, again, so that she was back on top, as planned. Bo was giving a small smile down, viewing the uncertain expression across the valkyrie's face - clearly she wasn't used to being led in day-to-day life, nevermind an intimate encounter such as this. Resistance was expected, but the brunette intended to thwart that away, she brought her left hand up, tucking a strand of the blonde's hair behind her ear. "It's alright, Tamsin. Just let me..." She brought her lips down to place heavy kisses down the detective's neck, wanting to take everything she could from this. "I'll be the most caring person you'll ever get to do this with." Whispering in a sultry voice, she held much conviction, "and hopefully the _only._"

For each individual kiss she felt against her skin, the valkyrie released throaty moans. In fact, every single time the succubus' mouth came into contact with her, it drove her crazy. And as for the almost possessive words, she felt her heart swell. In a way, it proved her theory that Bo must have felt some form of protectiveness over her. She sucked in a deep breath as she felt the female's right hand crawl down her body, reaching the apex of her thighs. "The only, huh? Why... don't tell me that you want me all to yourself?" For the sake of not seeming completely vulnerable, she kept up with her snide ways.

"I have you all to myself right now, don't I?" Bo grazed her teeth along the valkyrie's neck, harshly, forcing a shudder from her. The foreplay between them had actually lasted over the course of two days, ever since their experience in the gym together. It was only a matter of time until they found themselves here. The succubus guided two of her fingers through Tamsin's sensitive folds, purposely making the movement slow, allowing herself the time to absorb in the knowledge of how exceptional she felt. Yes, she had held her ideas before, but the reality was so much better. She noticed that the detective's grip was tighter against her sides, a sign that she too was adjusting to the rare sensations.

Tamsin found that her hips were rising, trying to push further into the contact; her body was succumbing to the touch and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. "Yes, you... you do happen to have me." She was speaking through a series of small moans and pants.

The confession alone sparked more arousal within the succubus, so much so, that she got a little ahead of herself and slipped two of her fingers inside of the blonde; the motion was confident and powerful, so it didn't stun her to know that it had pulled a loud groan from Tamsin. The sound in itself was more than enough of an incentive for Bo to continue this thorough exploration of hers. She could've sworn that she heard Tamsin mumble some crude word, but it was stubborn and low in volume - she expected nothing less. What did stun her though was to experience how tight the detective was. Sure, she chalked it up to 'tension', but also it made her question on how long it had been since the valkyrie was last intimate - or if she had _ever_ been intimate before. The idea that another could have been here first was a perishable thought to Bo, so she scrubbed that from her mind completely.

A second or two had gone by and then the ministrations commenced, the valkyrie could feel that the brunette's digits were beginning to thrust in a solid piston-like movement. "Oh..." She resorted to whimpering - yes, _whimpering_ - in desperation and clung as closely as she could to Bo. Her hands were grasping at her shoulders, her thigh raising to rest along her hipbone. The latter inadvertently offering better access for the fingers that were intruding inside of her. So masterfully, at that.

"I never knew that I excited you this much." The succubus was nipping at the blonde's neck, referring to the fact that she was very moist, which only eased the chore of working within her. Bo drove deeper now that she had a rhythm going, she was curling her digits and pushing further in order to force as much pleasure as she could into those sweet spots inside of this headstrong lover of hers.

Tamsin's nails dug harder into the woman's back, not enough to break the skin, but it was close. She was grinding her pelvis into the onslaught of raw bliss, "You do, oh...Bo..." Her mind must have been on cloud nine, otherwise she would never have been so willing to agree.

A light sweat was building against her lower back and forehead, and she was lost on where to focus on feeling the strongest sensations. Bo was between storming the citadel of her womanhood and biting against her neck and collarbone that it robbed away all sense of reality. She knew that her peak was fast approaching, and that was only certified when she felt that the succubus' palm was now grinding into her clitoris.

The intense ecstasy was rushing at her from all directions; the more she moaned, the harder the succubus worked. A blind rampage of energy was being used, and just when Tamsin was sure that she was about to tip over the edge, the sensations slowed down. Her eyebrows instantly hit the roof.

Judging by the way she could feel the brunette's smirk against her neck, she knew that this must have been planned.

"Do you remember two days ago when I promised that I'd make you beg?" Bo's motivations were now crystal clear, she was still moving her fingers, but at a pace that would delay the blonde's desired release. Oh, how she was going to enjoy this.

"Shit, you're bringing that up now?" The valkyrie was groaning in an understandable frustration, attempting to shift her hips to gain some more rough friction, but she was irritated to find that the succubus wasn't making it so easy.

"I think now is a good time, yes. Come on, Tamsin, tell me what you want - beg me for it." As the brunette ran her tongue from the valkyrie's collarbone, straight to her earlobe, she emphasized once more. "Beg me."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you are going to have an awful lot of unsatisfied sexual urges."

"You forget, I have the ability to withstand my own needs, succulette. I'm not your devoted toy." Even now, it was mindblowing that Tamsin could consider bringing her pride into this. It was a last gambit, because she was positive that she would oblige. Sadly, she wasn't a miracle worker, holding back was unbearable.

Bo's smirk became more entertained as she gave her fingers a sudden and rough jolt into the valkyrie. "Are you sure about that?"

The detective's reaction was an abrupt gasp, her body becoming alight by the single action. It rekindled the coil of heat in her groin that needed to be undone. _'God dammit'_, she hated herself for what she was about to do, "I want you, Bo Dennis. I want you to take me. Please. I need you. I've always needed you." Tamsin was being honest in more than one way, she didn't expect the succubus to realize that however. So maybe this was lucky, in a way, she could say whatever she desired and it would seem as though it was under the influence of lust - no matter how much she truly meant it. "_Please_, I'm craving your touch."

Well, the helpless mewling and pleading had done the trick, because in less than a millisecond, she found that the succubus was all over her again, thrusting and plunging her fingers with a vicious lover's intent. Tamsin thighs were starting to quake, her tense muscles becoming tighter and tighter as she was victim to Bo's desperate need to claim her in every way thinkable. Her words must have ran through the woman like wildfire. Even her eyes were glowing their usual captivating neon blue. With such a mad spree, it didn't take outrageously long for the knots of pleasure to burst. "Oh, yes, I'm... I'm-" The valkyrie was stopped from expressing her arrival at her release when the brunette crushed their lips together, frantically. Tamsin might have managed to moan the word 'coming', but it was a hard call given that Bo was busy jamming her tongue into her mouth. The rush of her orgasm had flooded through her as if there was no tomorrow; her sensitive walls tightening against the driving fingers.

Her back was arching as she fought to stay active in the kiss, although Bo was winning at every possible angle this time seeing as how she wasn't the one in the throes of a climax. The high was unlike anything that Tamsin had ever felt before, but she was being given no time whatsoever to comprehend what was going on. The succubus was beginning to draw out some of her Chi during the event, like an addict with no hope of ever quitting.

Not that the blonde minded, her energy was the most potent source for the succubus and she was just too aroused to even want to protest. It was a welcome violation.

Once she was settled by the subsiding of her orgasm, she grabbed a hold of Bo's shoulders and rolled them over - even during the feeding session that was going on. Tamsin landed herself back into the position of authority as she straddled the brunette's hips. With effort, she coaxed the succubus into taking a breather from all of the Chi sucking, both women were exerting heavy exhales, although the hyped up atmosphere was far from faded.

"I hope you had fun making me beg, succubus, because this is now war." The blonde had already grabbed a hold of the brunette's hands, forcing them to a pinned position above her head.

"Is that so? I'll have you know that I've never been bested in my own bed before and I've had a lot of battles." Bo was squirming in the hold, but it was tough for her to even want to move with the way that the detective's body felt so good pressed down against her own.

"Then it's about time that I demonstrate what a valkyrie can really do." Tamsin was wearing her smirk, which could only mean one thing - she didn't plan on losing. "I'll show you how to play a real game of command and conquer."

"You're sure that you won't be too tired?" The succubus teased as she tugged at her own forearms.

"Oh, you should be worried less about my capabilities and more about your _defenses._"

* * *

Oh my, that chapter was certainly something. Valkubus feels were just ricocheting from the walls. Intimate scenes have never been my forte, but I hope that was alright for y'all. There's always something nice about having two beautiful women close like that. ;D

Hm, is Lauren going to find out? Has Tamsin just hurt herself by getting too involved again? Or is Bo actually starting to realize that her heart is conflicted over two women? I can feel that drama is going to explode at some point in the future! xD

(Reviews...! c': )

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - You're right about that, my friend. Bo always seems to tear down each and every one of Tamsin's defenses. I think she's the only one who can. Although, saying that, I know for a fact that Kenzi can also see what is going on between the two of them. xD

_TheJojo99_ - Awh, you were checking every 30 minutes? That's so sweet! It's awesome that you enjoy this so much, I wish I could just quit life and write about Valkubus for you all day. It'd be much more fun! But I loved writing the bathroom encounter, because Bo and Tamsin just draw together like magnets. It's an explosion of passion and lust everywhere! But, I'm willing to be that Lauren isn't going to be happy when she finds out about what has gone on. ;D  
And as for the valkyries 'expiring', I've been curious about that myself, Tamsin is depicted as though she looks as if she is in her twenties/thirties which is young, so I imagine that whenever she uses her powers she is killing a part of herself, like the price to pay is losing some of her own life force. If she expires, then possibly she will be reborn - a little like a pheonix. She lives, burns out and then comes back. It's quite tragic way of living. And I guess that Bo couldn't heal her in 3x13 because she was a already a dying woman. Like, no matter what happens, even with the bullet taken out, it wouldn't change the fact that her life was leaving her due to the whole expiring thing. I'm not sure if that helps you at all, but I'm thrilled that you asked and I'll always be more than happy to answer any questions you might have! xD

_Khrat9_ - I love these insightful discussions of ours, it makes me wish I had a cup of tea or something so that I can delve into it with you. ;D  
I couldn't agree more, Tamsin is always going to be in her prime when she is acting on pure instinct. Situations of danger, fighting, etc, are her areas of expertise. No matter what happens, she will always rely on her strength. Whereas, her feelings for Bo are unventured, so it's like walking in a dark room with no sense of where to go. And it's worse when considering that her heart's desire is already occupied in a relationship with another. I'd hate to imagine the emotional stress that would bring.  
And thank you for the compliment on the title, I thought it was appropriate. xD  
I'm enjoying exploring Bo's own take on the situation, because while we all want her to realize that there is a perfect valkyrie waiting for her, it doesn't change the commitment of love she has made to Lauren. Their history can't be erased. So, she is caught in some crossfire; not wanting to lose the doctor, but also not wanting anyone else to have Tamsin. Love is such a hard road, no? c':  
You're right about the confusion hurting Tamsin though, it'll be damn sore to know that she is in the position of being some favored possession that Bo can't let go of.  
As Oscar Wilde once wrote, "There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it."

_FlipChick23_ - Oh, you're not wrong about that. Leaving a valkyrie and a succubus in a house together just spells 'trouble'. ;D

_Guest(s)_ - The pleasure is all mine, and thank you too! :')  
And indeed, Tamsin just can't cope with the thought of having Bo upset, so she always softens herself in the end! c':

_Valkubuslove_ - Merci, my darling. I'm very glad that you liked the chapter, and I'll always keep trying to give you updates whenever I can. XD

_Sim9542_ - Why hello there! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and praise, I'm always honored to hear that my writing is doing some good. It means a lot that you regard my work as 'mature' because that was what I was aiming for, I adore being able to delve into the psyche of Tamsin and Bo's character as best as I can. ;D  
I'm exceptionally glad to know that you like my attempts at portraying Kenzi, to be honest, she is so much fun to write and I love the idea of her and Tamsin interacting. Their attitudes collide so well together that I can't help but want to include scenes between them more often.  
As for Bo and Tamsin relationship, I'm trying to be realistic. As much fun as it would be to just make them all lovey dovey, it'd be too easy. I'm torturing the hell out of their feelings toward one another. While Tamsin is devoted and willing to do anything, Bo is confused and attached with a girlfriend already. But you're right about one thing, the passion is there between them both and the smallest spark just seems to ignite it into a full blown explosion! c':  
But again, thank you for taking the time to read/review, it's a pleasure and I hope to hear from you again! :'D

_Snagam80_ - Ah, why thank you! You're much too kind! I've always been a fan of adventure and conflict. Like, I'm hoping that we're going to see Tamsin kick some major ass in season 4. ;D  
I must say the Tamsin/Kenzi scenes are a joy to write, so I've definitely got some plans in store to have them working together again. c':  
In fact, Kenzi is definitely going to be touching on a lot of Valkubus when she speaks to Bo and Tamsin, we all know that she can't resist bringing it up after all. ;D  
*Wipes tear and also raises glass* Thank you, thank you! Your comments mean the world!

_Evelien_ - You're right about that, we're not too far apart at all. ;D  
Haha, I love that, and you make a good point. I suppose 50 Shades can capture readers from that point of view. I guess intimate scenes are just as much as part of a good story as all of the adventure and hardships. :')  
I think that Tamsin has a sort of 'protective' nature of Kenzi seeing as how she is Bo's best friend. So in that sense, she has her own personal valkyrie as a bodyguard. But I agree, I'd say that is Bo's turn to take control of things for a while, it's the least that Tamsin deserves after everything she has been through lately. c':

_bruubertolo_ - Oh, thank you. You're a sweetheart. I can never resist throwing in some snarky Tamsin, even when she is in the midst of passion. She always has to be a least a little sarcastic about things. But, I doubt Lauren is going to be all sunshine happy in the slightest. Bo will get herself in trouble and because of that, Tamsin will be put through hell too. xD

_ diana . magalhaes . 7 _- Thank you so much darling! I'm thrilled that you think that this is one of the best, it's so wonderful to hear! I'll always be motivated to make these updates as frequent as I can for you. :'D


	9. Paradise Breeds Consequence

"Something happened that I never understood.

(I can do almost anything to you)

You can't leave.

_You can't leave._"

- Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking, _Snow Patrol_

* * *

It was fair to say that the events of the night before were able to extend our to very long hours. As far as sexual encounters were concerned, the unbottled passion between the valkyrie and the succubus had probably broken some world record for duration. The amount of rest they had gotten was more than likely outbested by the action they had experienced with one another. Already, it was the ninth hour of the morning, being somewhat early. And yet, even so, the blonde was stirring slightly. As what happened with anyone waking up, she couldn't recall the events on first recollection, the only thing she was aware of seemed to be a hard surface against her back. Tamsin's eyes were heavy to open, but used the back of her hand to wipe across the area to clear away any blurriness in her vision. Each of her muscles ached as she forced herself into a perfect sit-up and only then did she realize that she was on the floor, with the silk bedsheet tangled flimsily around her body. Her expression was blank and verging on mortified as she tried to recall how she had gotten here, but a glance to the body next to her gave her all the answers she needed.

_Bo._

Of course, they had both been together last night. A small smile crossed her lips as she looked down to the other female. But then her gaze roamed over the many scratch marks and hickeys that were brazen against her pale flesh. Things must have gotten pretty crazy last night and it didn't take long until the memories flooded back in. Tamsin gave an unsteady inhale as she brought her sights to scan around the rest of the room. While doing so, she could hear the succubus come around - the light groan being a giveaway that she wasn't the only one suffering from an exhausted body.

The reality had taken less time to catch up with Bo, mainly because she was used to waking up after passionate encounters, whereas the blonde wasn't. She propped herself up so that she was no longer laying down uncomfortably against the floorboard. Much like the valkyrie, the thin bedsheet covered her to a decent extent.

A conversation - or at least small words - were inevitable between the two. The detective wasn't confident on how one would go about initiating a talk, so she said the first thing that was on her mind. "When on earth did we end up on the floor?" She scrunched her nose lightly and gave a small look over her shoulder to see the grinning succubus.

"Well..." Bo started with a breathless chuckle as she scooted herself closer to the blonde, she brushed her locks across one of her shoulders, tenderly, admiring the handywork of the visible blemishes and bruising she had left on the valkyrie's skin. Leaning in, she placed a single kiss to the side of her neck, mumbling a coy response into the flesh. "...I think we somehow missed the bed during out sixth rematch. Or was it our seventh...? I lost count."

Tamsin's eyes fluttered shut at the small sensation of having the brunette's mouth vibrating lightly against the side of her throat. She exhaled in a shudder, feeling shivers race down her spine when she started to remind herself of how out of control things had gotten. "Oh, yes. That reminds me, sorry about breaking your box-spring." She added, her tone holding no guilt to really convict the apology.

"Don't worry about it, it's my fault really, I had no idea how wild you could be." Bo answered through a sly smile as she ran her hands down the blonde's sides; her fingertips lightly ghosting by the tender flesh beneath. "I'm surprised the house is still standing."

"I told you, we valkyries are designed to win." Tamsin twisted around in her position so that she had a better view of the brunette, she persuaded her lips into a strong smirk and gave her head a small tip to indicate to the state that the succubus was in. "And I'm glad to see that I've left my mark. Or, rather, _marks_."

"You're not the only one, blondie." The brunette batted back, amused to find that Tamsin hadn't even realized her own condition. It was endearing to see how the detective gave a frantic glance down to see just how many 'love bites' she had been left with, not to mention the scrapes and claw marks.

It didn't take long until the valkyrie gave a further investigation, prying the bedsheet forward so she could look down to the rest of her body. Her eyes widened to see the same bruise-like marks and scratching continued down, even to her inner thighs. "Shit, it's like I've been in a tussle with a damn cougar."

"Not a cougar, just your very favorite succubus." With a mischievously proud voice, Bo altered her position and used effort to will her leg to swing over the valkyrie's thigh so that she could straddle her frontwards on. Whenever she closed the gap between herself and the other female, it forever made her heart leap to know that Tamsin flinched, in such a way, as though it was the first time she was being touched all over again. She made every little action seem unique. "So, do you still think massages are useless?"

How could Tamsin possibly try to concentrate on speaking when she had a perfectly naked succubus on top of her? Normally she was used to waking up by this stage. "Not when you give them."

"Not when I give them?" The succubus couldn't be more pleased by the answer and so she rewarded it by placing a tender kiss against the detective's forehead.

In response, the valkyrie's eyes closed and she took in a deeper breath, finding the time to immerse herself in how much she could appreciate an affection that the rest of the world would find so simple. It made her feel important, for once. She knew it wouldn't last, but she just liked it for the time being. "Don't let it get to your ego succubus."

"Why not? Receiving a compliment from someone like you is a very rare thing, valkyrie." Bo trailed her lips down the left side of the woman's cheek, moving steadily to her mouth.

Tamsin would have said something more, but she was lured into a kiss that all words seemed to scatter from her mind. More and more she found that the brunette was getting her claws deeper into her heart. It made the experience bittersweet. To her this meant everything, but to Bo? Well, it would be nothing more than an experimental fling. Obviously, she hoped that it wasn't as shallow as that, however it felt easier to assume the very least.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get much rest last night." The succubus spoke gently against the blonde's lips, hugging her thighs tighter against her hips, "You'll have to stay over again sometime, so that we can rectify that."

"What makes you think we won't just start another...escapade?" Tamsin wrapped her arms loosely around the other female's waist, tracing her fingers in circular patterns around some of the marks that had been left behind. "You did lose last night, after all."

"Did I?" The brunette's brow rose, a grin following closely behind as she continued her small murmurs against the detective's lips. "And what makes you think that you won?"

"Well, if you'll recall I did have you begging for me to stop and to continue all at once." The valkyrie answered, although she soon broke off into a small moan when the succubus had immediately chosen to attack her neck in a series of light kisses, as though the simple reminder was enough to make her want to act on instinct.

"How do you feel about an early morning rematch?" Bo was purring and pushing herself closer, beginning to prove how much of a vivacious appetite she had when it came to sex.

"I'd never refuse a challenge." And naturally, appealing to the valkyrie's sense of pride was easier than breathing. She was starting to drag her nails down to the succubus' thighs, keen on expressing that she would sooner die before ever resorting to giving up.

The two of them were more than likely going to wreck the room apart until most of the furniture around was damaged. After all, it wasn't as if they had the limitations that normal humans would rely on. However, a voice by the doorway had prevented anything from continuing. "Holy crapballs!"

Kenzi announced her presence through one of her usual original statements. She was standing wide eyed, but with an evident grin of awe and teasing across her lips. Her amusement was furthered when she saw how rapidly she had caught attention from the other females.

"Kenzi!" Bo exclaimed, her cheeks starting to flush red when considering that she had been caught in a very compromising position by her best friend. "This - this isn't what it looks like..." She began to stutter and stammer in a furious mortification.

Tamsin on the other hand, well she didn't have as much reason to become embarrassed, it wasn't as if she was the one who had a partner. And the bedsheet was still covering her decently. Besides, in the back of her mind, she held a sense of victory over the events of the night before.

"It's not what it looks like?" The Russian girl was speaking through a patronizing voice, nodding to herself. "So, what did happen? Don't tell me that the two of you just walked in here, tripped and your clothes just fell off? Oh and not to forget that you conveniently landed on top of each other?"

The valkyrie glanced down, trying to contain her humor, although it didn't seem to be appreciated by the blushing succubus.

"Tamsin, this isn't funny, don't encourage her." Bo gave the blonde a light prod in the side.

"Come on, BoBo." Kenzi rolled her eyes dramatically, "I heard the two of you screwing each other all night long, sheesh. I'd have said get a room... but you already had that covered."

"What!? You were in the house? How long... I mean, that's..." The succubus wasn't sure how to react, so she shook her head, gritting her teeth slightly. "_Kenzi._"

"Of course I was here, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. I do live in this building, in case you forgot."

Tamsin found an opportunity and so leaned forward slightly, sporting a smirk of interest. "So, since you were probably eavesdropping like a little gothic perv, tell me, who would you say won?"

The human girl brought her attention to the blonde, giving her an obvious look of knowing. "You, hands down, and you know it too. Although it's not really eavesdropping when I can hear the two of you over the sound of the tv."

Bo's eyes were wide as she stared back and forth between the pair, in a state of disbelief as to how normally they were talking about this. "Girls, please." She tried to rationalize the situation as best as she could.

"Oh, by the way, your cellphone has been ringing all morning, Bo-bear, I'm guessing it was from lurvable Lauren." Kenzi shrugged casually, treating the matter as if it was of no real importance. "But I guess you were just too involved in your extra curricular activities to notice."

"And you're telling me this now?" The succubus was glaring frantically for her mobile, although she eventually recalled that she left in on the couch the night before. In a blind haste she rose up to her feet, keeping a partial grip onto the bedsheet.

"Well, I weighed up the options, I could either answer the call for you and tell doctor hotpants that you were in '_flagrante delicto_', or I could wait until you were finished." The younger girl was back to giving a second shrug, "I chose the latter. No need to thank me straight away." During her rambling, she was watching the roof, noticing from her peripheral vision that her best friend had scurried along and gotten herself dressed into her undergarments before thoughtlessly throwing on the valkyrie's blouse on top.

Bo was giving incoherent mumbles to herself as she meddled with a button or two, "What if it was important?" She questioned, but was clearly in no mood to wait for an answer as she sped out of the room quicker than a light being flipped.

Tamsin had been so caught up in getting irritated over the fact that Lauren had once again taken precedence that she only saw that brunette speeding into the hallway at the last possible moment. "Hey, my shirt!" She gave a light growl before waving her hand as though to dismiss whatever she had just said. "Ah, forget it."

Unlike the succubus, Kenzi had taken the opposite approach and wandered further into the room, carrying that same overly cheerful glint in her eyes. "So, you finally planted your flag on terra-succubus?"

"Not quite. My mere flag is nothing compared to the doc's solid emblem." The valkyrie replied, but upon realizing that she sounded beaten up about the issue, she frowned and shook her head. "It's not as if I care though, their relationship means nothing to me." She was astute to want to assure herself of what she was saying, but it didn't help when she heard the younger girl sigh, unconvinced. By now the human had sauntered all the way in and slumped down against the bed behind. Tamsin kept the silk cover clutched against the front of her body before she gave a glance across her shoulder.

The only humor she gained in the next few seconds was when she saw how easily the Russian had collapsed into the mattress, seeing as how it had no real support to it anymore.

"Dude, did you break the freakin' box spring?" Kenzi asked, bouncing her legs slightly to feel for herself.

"I might have." The detective answered, refraining from sounding too proud, she soon put her focus onto a more important topic. "How is your ankle doing? You seem to be walking better."

At the show of interest in her welfare, the younger female rolled to rest on her side so that she could look down to the blonde, who still happened to be sat on the floor. "It's been bandaged up, but it should be fine. I won't be kicking ass anytime soon, but it could've been worse."

"Since when do you ever kick ass?" Tamsin questioned, with a sly smirk emerging against one corner of her mouth.

"When no one else is paying attention." Kenzi replied through a subtle wink, sounding so sure of herself. "Besides, I'd say we made an awesome duo yesterday."

"Oh, you mean when I singled handedly defeated all of the Under Fae since you couldn't even fire a simple gun? Or are you referring to the fact that I had to carry you on my back for a good half an hour?"

"Ah-ha, true, but I was your moral support. That's what we sidekicks are good for, we boost the hero's confidence."

"Are you ever going to realize that I am not a hero?"

"So, does that make you a saintly villain?"

"No. I'm a freelancer. I do what I think is right. I'd save a priest from a fire, just as much as I would save a pregnant demon from a raging waterfall. I can end a war, or start one, depending on how I feel."

Kenzi blinked a few times, trying to get her head around what she was hearing. "Blondie, you have some wacko ethics about you."

"It's the story of my life." Tamsin couldn't explain how her mind worked, but lately she just wanted to do everything in her power to sculpt the world into a safe place for the unaligned succubus. It didn't make her a 'good' person for doing so, but she didn't qualify as a heartless monster. Sometimes she felt as though she was purely hollow.

Bo was her heart - but Bo already belonged to another - so, in essence, what did the valkyrie do when her heart didn't want her? Did that make her alive? Empty? Numb? She was unable to pinpoint it at all. Maybe the strength in loving someone came from the ability to wait for them. And unfortunately, the succubus _was_ worth the wait. It would have been less painful if she wasn't, but fate thrived in being a cruel player.

"Can I ask you something?" Kenzi broke the growing silence as soon as she could, wanting so much to avoid an awkward atmosphere.

"Shoot." The valkyrie nodded her head as she stood up, knowing that it was too annoying to sit around all day. The paradise with the brunette was over and she had to get back on with life again. Reality was a sore place to return to, but she was used to suffering in silence, so this was normal.

"Do you like Bo?"

At the question, the blonde scrunched her nose, leaning down to lift up her scattered undergarments so that she could change into something more preferable than a strained cover. "Do I _like_ Bo? What do you mean?"

"Okay," The young Russian prepared to expand, sitting up and crossing her legs over. She was acting a little like a girl who was at a slumber party wanting to trade secrets around, "take away her succubus powers. Take away everything Fae about her, everything inhuman. Imagine she has a family. A strapping husband and a bucket load of kids. Say she didn't fight crime, say she was a... a waitress, or a part time comedian, would you still like her?"

"Oh, that wouldn't work, she's not funny at all. Her best jokes could make a person want to shoot themself in the leg as an excuse to leave the audience."

"Tamsin! I'm being serious here!" Kenzi pouted, hitting one of her palms lightly against the bed to indicate that she wanted a straight answer. "Would you still like her?" She knew it was a tough question, and now that the blonde was changed in her underwear and bra, it was easier for her to look forward again.

The valkyrie probably should have looked as though she was thinking, but there was no point. No when she knew what she wanted to say already. "Of course I would." Her reply was frighteningly accurate and she brought her fingers to press in and rub against her temple afterwards. It frustrated her to hear herself.

"Why?"

As the subject was pushed at by the younger female, Tamsin found it increasingly taxing to put into words what she desired to explain, although, she was never one to shy away from a challenge so she gave it her best shot. "Because she would still be Bo. She'd have the same heart, the same soul, that same damn smile." Losing herself in the thought, she snapped herself out of it by shaking her head. "Look, is there a point to this question?"

"Yes." Kenzi piped up, springing onto her knees before she got up from the bed completely. She would have raced over, but due to her sore ankle, her movements were slower. "I'm trying to help you realize that you **do** care for my bestie, no matter how many times you try to lie about it."

"I never knew you wanted to be a detective." The blonde narrowed her eyes when the other girl was directly in front of her. "You asked me if I liked Bo, I said yes. I never said that I 'cared' for her. So, you can hop down from your high horse, Queen Goth." Still, she brushed aside the topic as if there was nothing to talk about in the first place. Grasping her jeans from the countertop, she slid them back over her legs. Although as she began to pull the zipper up, she found that Kenzi had grabbed her arm, dragging her across the room. "Hey, easy there tiger."

The two females seemed to stop in front of the mirror at the corner, near to the set of drawers. Kenzi stood behind Tamsin, although upright a little so that her chin nearly rested on her shoulder. "Take a long hard look." The girl began, winding a hand around so that she could indicate to the many visible bruise-like marks that were scattered across the flesh, and in doing so, she was also directing the valkyrie's attention to them also. "I might not be able to read you as openly as a Harry Potter book, but I know you hold yourself with a lot of dignity. You'd never let someone do this to you if you didn't care. So, 'fess up, she is the only one that has a pass into your Chamber of Secrets, isn't she?"

At the innuendo, Tamsin rolled her eyes so heavily that she could see how rundown the roof appeared to be. "Oh, by the way, did I also forget to mention that you would never be a comedian either?"

"Now you're just being mean."

"Yeah yeah, just hand me over one of Bo's shirts will you? And nothing girly, otherwise you'll be back at the hospital, requesting a matching bandage for your other ankle." Giving a bitter smile at the end of her words, her threat held no weight to it, but she wouldn't be herself if she took things softly. At Kenzi huffed and made a move for the wardrobe, Tamsin took the time to acknowledge the truth to what had been discussed. In a normal circumstance if someone even looked at her the wrong way then she'd have broken their pelvis. And yet, here and now, she could see how close she had let the succubus in. Both physically and emotionally.

Sex with Bo gave pleasure to her body, but spiked pain into her heart. The sad thing was, she didn't regret it. Did that make her some masochist? Or was she simply becoming love's bitch?

No time was left to dwell on the matter when she found that the other female had walked back across to her, handing across a black shirt. "Here you go, miss moody." Kenzi finally returned with her own witty remark, mimicking the same bitter smile as the blonde took a hold of the item of clothing and began to dress herself into it, doing up the buttons up, except for the top two. She'd had tied her hair up, but keeping it down was better for covering up the hickeys against her neck, so she stuck with that instead.

"You know Kenzi, you're not as irritating as I first thought." Tamsin gave something of a compliment as she wandered back across to sit onto the edge of the bed in order to do up her boots.

"Oh, dear diary..." The Russian girl grinned brightly, batting her eyelashes overdramatically like some crushing schoolgirl.

"On second thought, scrub that. You _are_ irritating. But I still like you."

"You like me?"

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?" Tamsin's eyebrow knitted, she grew curious as to why her words always came as a surprise.

"Well, kinda yeah." Kenzi brought her hand up to rub the back of her neck. "No offense, but you come off a little cold to the world. Like, I'm sure a snowman shivers when you walk by."

"I am cold, but that doesn't change the fact that I can like a person. I've never been keen on you human types, but you're different. You live in a world with constant danger. I suppose I'm too busy saving Bo that I forget about that."

"Did you say saving Bo, or _craving_ Bo?" The girl proved to be just as teasing as her best friend, but she soon walked forward and plopped herself down onto the edge of the bed next to the valkyrie. "But, I like you too, doofus." She gave her arm a gentle nudge against the detective's as a way to vouch for her sincerity. "We're not so different."

Tamsin gave half of a smile to know that the young girl was fond of her. It was nice to have someone in the world to consider a friend. Or reasonably close to it. "How so? Because we both give witty one-liners and are constantly underestimated?"

"Actually, I was going to say that we can both piss Lauren off in a heartbeat."

"Good point."

It was when a silence existed between the two that voices could be heard from the ground floor. One belonging to the succubus and the other, believe it or not, belonging to the doctor. Fate just loved intervening in with life at the most troublesome times. _'Speak of the devil'_, Tamsin thought to herself as she frowned a little, _'why didn't I hear them talking before?'_ She could only guess that the answer was due to the fact that Kenzi had been a very pleasant distraction for her. The girl had taken her mind off of everything and she felt as though she owed her a debt for that. Giving a glance across to her, it was plain to see that her confused expression proved that she had also picked up on the fact that Bo and Lauren were in a discussion of some sort.

"I didn't even hear her come in." Kenzi blinked in astonishment as she rose from the bed, beginning to walk over to the door.

"I guess we were talking too much, either that or she should've been a ninja instead of a doctor." The valkyrie also approached the exit of the room and stepped out into the hallway. By the sound of things, there was tension downstairs. And she could guess why, Bo was covered in evidence of hot and heavy passion - not to mention she was wearing the shirt that pointed straight to the suspect. Lauren was anything but stupid, she'd have known who said attire belonged to. So, it felt best to just face the fire. It wasn't as if the detective was threatened at all. Intimidation didn't stalk her easily in this life. "You better stay here Kenzi, things are probably about to get ugly." She commented as she began to walk forward, assuming that the girl would probably ignore what she said and listen in on what was going on by the staircase. But she wouldn't stop her from doing that. Once at the staircase, Tamsin made a rather sturdy descent, easily capturing the attention of the two debating females. "Morning, doc." She greeted blankly as her eyes settled onto the medical professional. "I didn't know you made house calls."

Like two negative energies colliding, which didn't create a positive in this case, Lauren was already scowling. Not that it took much effort to stir that particular reaction in the first place. "I could say the same for you." She snapped back, but her voice was always less dangerous than would've liked. "You couldn't just leave things alone, could you? As if taking my car yesterday wasn't enough, you had to put the moves on my girlfriend."

Tamsin could see how distressed the other female was, and when she shifted her gaze to the right, Bo was just as bad - if not worse. The brunette was feebly trying to scoot closer to her girlfriend; as a pleading servant would do when needing to be pardoned for a sin. "For a goody two shoes, you sure hold a lot of grudges, don't you?"

"It's simple to feel resentment to someone who is making constant wrong-doings."

"My choices happen to save lives, as evidence of Kenzi's return, unless you have forgotten about that. It must eat you up inside, being proven wrong by the outsider."

"I was willing to let that go, for the greater good, but this-" The doctor extended her hand out to emphasize to the succubus' current condition. "-this changes everything."

Bo's eyes were wide as those very words, as if she was spiraling down some sort of a deathtrap. All she could think of was that she was about to lose Lauren. She began to panic over that idea. Since she had neglected to answer her phone, the doctor had paid an unexpected visit to make sure that she was safe and sound. Only, the timing couldn't have been worse. This morning had started off on a high note of arousal, but it was as though a bucket of icy water had been thrown over the entire atmosphere. "Wait, no." She blurted out before she could think, which drew the gaze of both women in front of her. How could she make this situation right? No matter what she done, someone was going to get hurt, but, she also had to take into the consideration that the doctor had put up with a lot from her in the past, so there was every chance that this might be the last straw. Could she risk it? At least Tamsin was able to cope with pain better, or so Bo assumed from everything that she had seen. "It's really not what you think. This was..." Signaling between herself and the valkyrie, using her left hand, she continued, "this was just a feed."

Tough blow, again. The detective's eyebrow arched simply, but on the inside, she was sure that someone had just taken a sledgehammer into her heart - that 'someone' being no one other than the succubus.

"I needed to sate my hunger and Tamsin has the best source of Chi. It can keep me going for a while." Bo explained frantically, her gaze flickering between two fair haired women. Lauren looked questionable, and Tamsin just looked downright empty, like she was caught in some distant daydream.

"A feeding session, really? That is all this was?" The doctor asked, unconvinced so far. She held a narrow gaze, not entirely sure that she wanted to be played for a fool, but at the same time, the succubus did need to retain a frequent sex life to be able to satisfy her needs. So, it wasn't impossible that she was lying about this either.

"Yes." Bo was nodding desperately, casting a glance of sheer hopelessness to the silent blonde. "Tamsin, tell her." Her fate relied upon a little back up from the detective. It was a cruel situation and she knew that it must have appeared as though she had been using from the beginning - but she wasn't. Actually, she had been trying to shun away these developing feelings for the valkyrie as though it was some curse looming over her, but she couldn't. The emotions just strengthened. And last night, it had exploded into the form of the most freeing sex that she'd ever experienced. There hadn't been any restraints or worries, she had been able to focus fully on enjoying herself without an ounce of fear.

Tamsin remained quiet, even seconds after she had been begged to make this right for the couple. It just certified a fact that she had always known; no matter what she done she was destined to be second best. As a woman who thrived on pride and arrogance, it was a humiliation embedded into her. Like carvings on a stone.

_'No, no, no! It wasn't just some damn feed. This is all wrong, being with you means everything to me.'_ She kept telling herself over and over, _'being with you __**is**__ everything to me.'_

"Sure, whatever." She forced the words straight out from her mouth, despite the nauseous feeling it had created in the pit of her stomach. "The succubitch needed quick service, I was available." Every syllable that aired from her lips and into reality was another defeat, but she kept at it, giving a careless shrug for more conviction.

"Even if that _is_ the case, why did you have to leave so much...evidence?" Lauren's nose turned up in distaste as she gave a clear head tip over to the intimate bruising against the body of the succubus.

"I'm a valkyrie. My kind don't play gentle, I thought a doctor with your smarts would have figured that out by now." Tamsin was starting to sound angry; and losing her cool wasn't normal for her. Bo's sudden change of mind had added fuel to an already scorching fire. She swallowed down a hard lump and tightened her fists by her sides in hope that the small action would help to keep her calm.

"You seem to be around Bo an awful lot lately, you know, for a person who claims to hate everything about her."

"Yes, excellent analysis. I trust there is some profound point to your words, doc? Or do you just enjoy running your mouth off?" So much for the blonde's sense of holding her negativity in. She wouldn't be seen as anything less than cold in front of these people. Last night was the first and only time that she would allow herself to feel normal.

"Why are you suddenly so willing to save her?" Well, Lauren just came right out with the blunt questions, didn't she?

Tamsin's eye were shimmering with murderous intent within the first second, "Well, you've got quite a pair on you doc." Indicating to how bold of a move it was to even ask something that personal, she disliked being put on the spot - especially now that the brunette was in the room with them.

"Just answer the question." The doctor pressed, unconsciously stepping back a little in fear that she may end up getting herself injured. Even though she wouldn't admit it, the valkyrie's temper was worrying at the very least.

"I don't take orders. But I've got a better proposal, how about I clean your clock?" The blonde wasn't going to say anything more than that, she was seeing too much red to think coherently as it was.

"Clean my clock?"

"Allow me to demonstrate." Tamsin began to walk forward, bringing her hands together so that she could crack her knuckles; the sound being a sign alone to the physical threat that she was about to carry out.

The only thing that stopped her was the way that Bo had stood directly in her path, frowning. "Don't even think about it." She was being protective, because quite frankly, having a valkyrie against a doctor just wasn't fair odds in any sense whatsoever. "I mean it. I won't let you hurt her."

The detective was hardly impressed by the sudden 'heroics' that the succubus was displaying. Her steps had come to a halt and she was now glaring down to the smaller female. "Do you honestly think that you have the power to stop me?" Perhaps some of her former hostility was shining through again - the hint being that she was starting to smirk in that dangerous way of hers. "I just gave a clear warning that I'm not a soft player and your girl made the dumbass move of provoking me."

"_Tamsin._" Bo said again, putting a lot of weight behind the name, she was giving that 'control-yourself-for-me' look. The same one that had chipped through the valkyrie's ice wall many times before in the past.

It had shown itself to tally up another success, as the valkyrie's jaw became tense and she straightened her posture, refusing to take another step toward the doctor. If the succubus was paying close enough attention then she might have been able to see the destruction she was causing, but the blonde always hid it so well. "Fine. It'd be a waste of a good punch anyway."

Bo would have said thank you, but was it wise to do so when her girlfriend was standing right behind her? Probably not. She turned herself around and approached said partner, trying to offer a kind smile. "Lauren, I never want to hurt you. You know that, but I'm a succubus, I can't feed off of you, I could end up killing you and that would destroy my whole world." She was resorting to some stuffy love speech which made the detective want to run into a brick wall, because the physical pain would be more bearable than the torture her heart was undergoing.

"I know. I know that you don't want to hurt me." Lauren gave in, nodding a little to prove that she longed to place faith in the brunette's words. Their relationship had been one long rollercoaster, but there were times where it became too much.

"I love you, so there is no reason for you to worry."

Tamsin felt like a prisoner, watching her own demise as she heard the way that the succubus was so willing to mend even the slightest crack in her life with Lauren. Unknowingly, the brunette used one hand to heal the doctor and the other to hurt the valkyrie. "Exactly, no reason to worry at all. Everything is peachy." The blonde couldn't even stop herself from sounding out of breath. But thankfully it blended in with her usual snidey ways. "If you two are done trying to confuse the issue, I'm going to go. There is work to be done." She didn't intend to sit around and watch her progress crumble to ash and dust, so she walked over to the door, facing away from the other women. Having her back to them made it so much easier for her to let her expression drop to one of sorrow as she reached the door.

The succubus' throat was running numb at the back, because she knew that things had turned upside down, she had only just earned forgiveness for siding against the blonde yesterday and now she was repeating the same mistake. But this time felt different, it felt worse. "Tamsin..." Bo didn't know what to say, a part of her wanted to race up and hug the valkyrie; convince her to stay. But a greater part of her knew that she wouldn't be able to do that, not with Lauren here. "Thank you."

"Whatever." The detective passed it off with the wave of her hand as she came to the door. She tugged it open as soon as she was able and stepped outside, "As far as I'm concerned, we're even. You don't owe me anything. From now on, count on someone else to save your ass." Tamsin marched outside midway through her conclusion, leaving the door swung open behind. She didn't have the time nor decency to close it. Maybe she was a tad harsh with her words. After all, would she really not want to rescue Bo if she had the chance? It was an automatic response of hers to run in and pull the succubus out from a lethal mess. Blaming the brunette was harsh, but natural. She shouldn't expect the relationship with the doctor to get dropped just because it was something that she wanted.

Bo appeared to be happy with Lauren.

But, she also seemed to want to keep the valkyrie to herself.

One side of the coin was love and the other was ownership.

_'Christ, that's screwed up. I belittled Lauren for her servitude the other day, and yet... here I am, being owned by her girlfriend.'_ Tamsin's mind was going haywire as she marched down the street. It was a likely possibility that if someone looked at her the wrong way then she may end up causing mass damage to them. Right now, it would have been a pleasure to make a deal with the Norn. Maybe when Dyson had lost his love it wasn't so tragic. It would be easier to feel nothing at all than to carry this crushing weight that the blonde was currently keeping locked between her lungs. Her self-loathing thoughts were quickly disrupted when she felt her arm being tugged at from behind. On instinct, she shot a speedy glare over her shoulder, but her features softened when she saw who it was that had caught up with her. "Kenzi, what're you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" The girl asked, astounded that the answer wasn't already known. "You aren't abandoning me in there with those two. As soon as you left it sounded like they were about to argue, so I wanted to get the hell out of dodge."

"Their problems don't concern me." Tamsin snapped lightly as she pulled her arm back to herself, she faced the front again and continued to storm ahead.

Kenzi, even with her painful ankle, had to use quite a bit of effort to catch up to the infuriated blonde. "I heard everything and you were caught in a pretty bad shitstorm."

"Gee, you think? Thanks for the reminder."

"Cool down, iceboots." The Russian groaned faintly, and when she was able to speed up her pace so that she was next to the valkyrie, she took another hold of her wrist, to slow her down. "I can't walk as fast as you, can we just take our time here? Please?"

Tamsin didn't give a verbal answer as such, but she did end up decreasing her steps to a suitable amount. It wasn't as if she held any wishes for the young female to do herself a further injury. Kenzi must have appreciated the acceptance of her request, because she then let go of the detective's wrist. "I'm sorry, I wish things had worked out differently."

"You don't have to apologize kid, it's not your problem. It's a fact of life that people like me-"

"-don't get people like Bo?" Kenzi attempted to guess the ending, which she was sure was accurate, but she saw the flash of warning in Tamsin's eyes, so she knew that she was about to disagree for the sake of her pride.

"I was going to say that people like me are always painted out as the enemy." The blonde shook her head, unsure of what to make of how the day had started. She was confused. "Lauren and Bo are happy together, I can't put my life on hold to pick up the damn pieces for them."

"Lauren and Bo spend most of their days in boring debates. On a personal level, human to valkyrie, I think that you are better for my best buddy."

"Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but the succubus can do whatever the hell she wants, all I need is a bar and a decent game of pool to get me by." Tamsin was trying to wear her cunning façade as she continued to walk beside the other girl. Her sights were ahead and she tried ever so hard to mask her previous attitude with a new grin.

Kenzi could see straight through the act, mainly because she was watching carefully, but she pursed her lips in curiosity. Perhaps it was a good thing to let the valkyrie deal with this in her own way. She could support it, definitely. "If you're looking for a distraction to take your mind off of things then Dyson told me that there is a pretty important case down at the station."

"Oh, more serious work? Fun, fun, fun." The blonde was trying to make up for the amount of times she had disbanded from her cocky ways recently, so she was amping the entire attitude back up as powerfully as she could. "What good fortune, because I'm on my way to the station right now."

"Can I come with you?" Kenzi asked, sounding excited but innocent all the same. "Honestly, I don't want to go back to the house."

Tamsin gave a thoughtful look across to the smaller female, "I hope you aren't falling under the impression that I'm your babysitter."

"Hey, you could use the company and I'm far from a child. I'll have you know that I am very mature."

"Right, if you say so."

"So, can I tag along or not? I swear I won't be any trouble, you won't even know I'm there." The girl was pleading like a kid would do to a parent.

The blonde's eyes gave a typical roll, but she stuck with the same small grin. "Sure, I guess you can stay with me for the day, if you'd like."

Kenzi's eyes brightened in a sudden joy, "Sweet! This will be so awesome!" With a renewed sense of enthusiasm, she lowered her hand to take a hold of Tamsin's wrist and began to speed up her steps - only slightly. "We're going to have such a blast that you won't even remember the crap fest back home!"

"...this is going to be a long day." Tamsin sighed, but, in truth, it was refreshing to be around Kenzi. She was good company - probably the type of innocence and support that the valkyrie needed to be around right now.

Although it didn't change the fact that she wanted to reform herself back to acting like a bitter bitch around the succubus.

She needed to improve herself so that Bo couldn't dictate her world.

* * *

I know what you're thinking, things started out perfectly - and then took a turn for the worst! I torture the hell out of Valkubus, don't I? But, that's only because it's going to be worth it in the end when Bo comes to her senses. Right now she's stuck in a bind. She loves Lauren, but she wants Tamsin more than anything. I don't envy the drama in her life. xD

And naturally, I thought I'd touch more on the growth of the Tamsin/Kenzi friendship for you guys, I think the two of them are going to have to solve another case together - for some added drama - because Tamsin is falling into a state of hopelessness and that's only going to make her hostile. Believe it or not, our dear little Kenzi is probably helping to keep her grounded right now, awh. :'D

( 'Zee Reviews. c': )

_shannon1419_ - Awh, you're so lovely, thank you! I'm ecstatic to hear that you're liking the fic, and I can only hope that there is going to be some Valkubus in season 4. ;D

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Bo has been wanting to make her beg since chapter one, so I have to admit, that succubus has astounding patience. Tamsin always seems to bring out her wild side, and I'm sure we're going to be seeing more and more of that. c':

_TheJojo99_ - I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, because I really had fun writing it! The two of them just tear up the sheets whenever they are in a bedroom, and they always seem to challenge each other. ;D  
Poor Lauren, she walks into an unexpected situation, although I feel worse for Bo and Tamsin. The two of them should just be happy together right now, but life is never going to be that straightforward for them. Doccubus is in a rocky road. And Valkubus is being toyed with too. Oh dear, the complications of love. x]  
I hope that if Tamsin is reborn, she'll be the exact same, but just fully topped up on power. I bet she will be stronger than everyone if she retains her youth and prime. And that's a good question, I assume that Bo has sex with the person if she wants to heal herself quicker, or to mend any severe internal injuries. Either that...or she just really loves working her body. ;)  
And it's always a pleasure to answer your questions! Thank you for asking them in the first place! x

_Khrat9_ - Sexy time indeed, I've been waiting for many lifetimes to finally take them to the bedroom. ;)  
But, you know as well as I that it isn't going to end up as the fairytale everyone wants. Tamsin and Bo are drawn together without any physical restraints, they can challenge each other, and Bo doesn't need to hold back. She can be herself. Although at the same time I'm sure there are some emotional attachments involved, whether they are aware of it or not.  
And I like the fact that you've picked up on Tamsin being second best; she knows that herself but it's a mindless trap that she keeps falling into. As much as she wants to be mad at Bo, she is always going to be captivated by her more, which is tearing her heart to pieces in the long run. She and Lauren are never going to see eye-to-eye, so in a sense, Tamsin is fighting a war that the fate is declaring she will lose no matter what. So it's a good thing that she doesn't quit.  
Yet, in saying that, she is beginning to make a futile attempt to hide her heart again. xD

_bruubertolo_ - Something tells me that Tamsin is always going to want to seize control no matter what, but, Bo is also quite competitive, so she's going to challenge her whenever she can. And you're right, having Lauren somehow showing up is drama that I can't never refuse. She and Tamsin are always going to be at odds with one another!  
But thank you for reading, I'm pleased that you're continuing to enjoy my work! :'D

_gast1234_ - Why thank you kindly, I enjoy trying to update as quickly as I can. Who needs sleep right? ;D  
And besides, I'm always being flooded with more ideas to throw in, so as soon as something pops into my mind, I want to get it all down as soon as I can.  
You love me? Awh, bless you. I LOVE YOU TOO! XD  
It's wonderful to hear from Germany! Greetings back, from Scotland! X X X

_FlipChick23_ - I couldn't agree more, I think that Bo has actually realized her mistake, because being with Lauren is bringing her so much stress, but at least she can be herself with Tamsin. No worries, no panicking. Just enjoyment. c':

_Guest(s)_ - Lauren doesn't seem to be quite as wild as Tamsin, no arguments there. xD

And thank you! I'm glad that you're enjoying the chapter so far, I had great fun keeping Bo/Tamsin's intimate scenes as wild and uncontrollable. It's awesome that you're having fun reading some of the humor too, I like to make some sections heavy with drama and others light hearted. The balance is fun to write. c':  
Again, I really appreciate that, Bo is taking on an impossible challenge to get through to Tamsin, and I don't thin that she is ever going to give up on that either. x]

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Thank you so much, darling! You're awesome for even saying that! And I'll always want to give you as many frequent updates as I can. (':


	10. Cracks Forced Closed

"You want a revelation.

You want to get it right.

But it's a conversation, I just can't have tonight."

- No Light, No Light, _Florence and The Machine_

* * *

When inside the local station - after ten straight minutes of Kenzi rambling on and on - Tamsin felt as though she was falling back into her natural element. If nothing else she was a hard worker; she could pour ounces of effort and time into a job no matter how important it was. Surely being here could only prove to be a valuable distraction from the recent drama? It had to be. Apparently there was a 'serious' case that had cropped up, so she could think of nothing better to lose herself in than something dangerous and dramatic. Of course, it didn't help that she had been deprived of sleep - and that her body held several aches from the close encounter with the unrestrained succubus. All in all, she probably looked rundown like hell, but as she said, rest was for the weak, she could sleep when she had sorted out the tangle of mess and raw emotions that her life had become.

As they had entered the upper offices of the building, Dyson was present, looking over the set of files on his desk. However, it then became a second priority to him as he raised his head. On instinct, he spoke the first name that came to his head. "Bo? Good you're-" Whilst standing from the wooden chair, and turning around, he was forced to pause upon realizing his mistake. "Tamsin?" He amended the name, wearing a soft frown of confusion. The female had the scent of the succubus all over her, even when looking at her, his senses were jammed by the natural and heavy fragrance that had become so familiar to him.

The valkyrie shook her head sternly, trying not to think about the brunette too much. It just made her feel like she was decaying to do so. "Nope, wrong, wolf boy." She altered her defeated attitude and coaxed herself into acting as normal as she could. There was no reason that everyone in the world had to become involved in her problems. She could deal with it all by herself. "I borrowed her shirt, that's probably what threw you off." Before she waited for endless questions, as would be expected, she came up with a cheap excuse in her mind and voiced it instead, "I stayed at her place last night. My own blouse was in quite a state, so I took this little 'pick me up' instead."

"Well, in either case, you look wrecked. Didn't you get any sleep at all?" The male asked, quirking an amused brow to see that his usual uptight partner was looking not-so-uptight.

Kenzi smirked to herself and purposely cleared her throat, seeming as though she was in on a joke that no one else knew about. "Apparently valkyries don't need sleep. They just work all night long." She mumbled quietly to herself.

The blonde caught onto what was said, however, and subtly lowered one of her hands. With a bright grin appearing from nowhere, she placed her hand against the back of the girl's thigh and squeezed firmly. "I'm sorry, what was that Kenzi? I didn't quite hear you." Obviously she was really saying, '_tread carefully_', but she assumed that the hint would be picked up.

Eyes widening, the human felt her body threatening to jolt at the unexpected pressure. The way that Tamsin's fingers pressed into her nerves caused her to release an abrupt gasp, which she soon masked into a chuckle, "Uh, right, what I meant was... we were watching movies last night."

"Exactly." The valkyrie accepted the way that she had forced the girl into assisting her excuse, and so she released her thigh, coming to smirk when she noticed the fleeting look of relief wash over the mortal's face.

"Movies, huh? I hope they were decent." Dyson commented with an open mind, seeing no need to really question what had gone on. 'Girl time' was probably something that he would rather not know about anyway, thus, he turned back around to sort out the files so that he could get the other two females caught up to speed.

Kenzi now saw the perfect chance to get back at the blonde for the 'leg squeeze' and so she nodded, "Oh yeah, there was one about some crazy love triangle. It turns out that the hero of the plot was a big sissy in the end who couldn't admit to loving someone." Her reference, of course, was to nothing other than the scene she had overheard in the house this morning, as well as the fact that the female detective really did have an awful struggle when it came to talking about her feelings.

Fortunately, the valkyrie could see through the discretion easily and hitched a brow up. "Well, if you remember, the hero was smart enough to see that love was a weakness." She rebounded before casually slipping her arm around Kenzi's neck, squeezing her a little closer, "and the hero's sidekick also drowned because she wouldn't stop yabbering."

"Yes...well, she was my favorite character too." Kenzi swallowed nervously, knowing that she was treading in thin ice with the way that she was teasing the blonde.

Although it was a thrust and parry really, Tamsin could give out as good as she got.

Dyson was partially listening to the two squabble behind him, but he didn't put anything behind it yet, he just assumed it was natural bickering. His main focus lay on the paperwork and photographs that he had laid out neatly on the desk. "As fascinating as that sounds, we've got a new problem in that needs solved, as soon as possible." While explaining, he lifted up a certain document of paper, preparing to give further insight into what he was talking about.

Yet, he was soon cut off when Kenzi had taken a hold of said file, "yoink!" She exclaimed cheerfully as she pulled it from the male's fingers and into her own grasp. Her eyes were scanning over the written lines, skipping the bulk of paragraphs and skipping to, what she considered, the most important parts, "oh, dead people, yada yada yada, why am I not surprised?" Yes, she could be simple minded sometimes, selecting the obvious details to voice out loud.

Tamsin merely rolled her eyes and shook her head, to her it honestly did feel as though she was watching over some immature child. _'And to think, she said I wouldn't even notice she was here, the little liar'._ In the small silence that had come about, she found that her thoughts were beginning to drift, verging onto thinking about the succubus. Picturing Bo's beautiful face now was like a sweet poison in the valkyrie's mind. It hurt, but it was the type of pain that she would walk herself into. Like when a person strolled through the park during a blizzard - the snow froze them to death and nipped at their skin, but they continued anyway. It was never questioned, but it did paint a certain beauty to the person for coping with it.

"Yoink, back." Dyson brought reality back to the situation, grasping the paper back from Kenzi's hand, he appeared to be wearing a soft grin, but his eyebrow soon rose and he knew that he had to get down to business. "The list of reports recently detail that a number of teenagers have been killed, on school grounds. There have been about nine incidents within the past few weeks."

"How do you know it's Fae activity? Couldn't it be some manic human on the loose?" The valkyrie was getting down to the questions already as she brought her arms in a neat fold across her chest. "What evidence have we got?"

Allowing the two detectives to talk, Kenzi had to admit that she was impressed with the way that the blonde could suddenly get herself into the zone of things. One minute she was playful and the next, completely serious.

The male detective had expected that more information would be needed, so he twisted his body and pointed down to one of the pictures on display across the surface of the table. "Believe me, we're dealing with a Fae; very powerful, very old. It's called a Cor Devoratrix."

"A Cor what?" Kenzi seemed to have some trouble keeping up with the foreign tongue that was used.

So, Dyson expanded, "It's Latin for-"

"_Heart devourer,_" Tamsin interrupted as she took a closer inspection of the photographs. She knew that she was right, but seeing the gaping holes in the chests of the teenagers simply certified it further, "I've only heard of their kind through reputation; never seen one. Not much is known about them, other than the fact that they seem to survive by eating the cardiac muscle. I don't know what purpose it's for though."

"Okay, wow, wow, lets back it up a step here, there's some creep out there that eats hearts? And you know Latin?" Kenzi only picked up on two points apparently. She made an attempt to look at the photos herself, but it made her feel squeamish, so she gave up as soon as she caught the first glimpse.

The blonde tilted her head, eying the girl with sophistication. "I've been around, there are a lot of things I know." She answered mysteriously before shifting her sights back over to the male. "So, what else do we have to go on?"

"In reality? Nothing." Dyson huffed in a small sigh as he brought his hand to rub against the back of his head, "This Fae could be anywhere, anyone. We have no idea what it looks like, as you said they are pretty much a mystery to the dark and light. It could be a student, a parent, a resident. The only lead we have is that it's victims are teenagers, all of which attended the local high school in a quaint little town, it's about a day's ride from here."

Tamsin was frowning as she perched herself onto the edge of the desk, "So, why don't we just go into the building, guns blazing? We find the bastard and put it down for good. In fact, I'll rip it's heart out, just to give it a taste of it's own medicine."

"I'd be up for that too, but we can't just charge into public grounds locked and loaded." The male tried to be reasoning, even though he wished that he could stick to his partner's brutal plan. "There are too many innocents around."

Kenzi puffed her cheeks, looking between the two adults. And when an idea suddenly clicked into her mind she sprung to an energized stance. "Oh! You guys are the law, can't you just do some CSI type investigation on the grounds?"

"Again, negative," the shifter commented, looking across to see the small pout that escaped the younger girl, "it'll be too risky. This Fae will be most guarded around the law," Dyson's voice sounded as strict as always, but it did soften towards the end, "I did have one plan in mind though."

The valkyrie's brow was quick to raise, but she kept her temper down. "If you already had a plan then why wait? You could have told us from the beginning, it would've saved a lot of time, partner."

"Well, call it a last resort, trust me when I say it's not something that is your style Tamsin."

"Great, I love the sound of it already," the blonde shook her head and then opted for the other detective to continue, "tell me what you've got so far."

For a change, Dyson looked as though he was trying to bite back a smirk. "I need you to go to this town, undercover. It just so happens that there is a vacancy for a teacher at the school. You need to take the position and work from the inside."

"What?" Tamsin's jaw nearly dropped, her face flashing pale in horror already. "This is a very lame ass joke, fangs."

"Do you really think I would pull a prank on you about this? I'm serious Tamsin."

"Why me?"

"We need someone experienced. I have faith in Bo, but this Fae might be out of her league. You are physically more capable."

"At least you've finally come around about that," the valkyrie stated, but in the next second she pushed onto another point, "and what about you? What's your excuse?"

The male shifter took a seat down onto the wooden chair again, shrugging his shoulders as innocently as he could. "I would've, but when I scouted the area, I sensed the vague essence of Skunk Ape. We need to face the facts, you are the one for this job."

"My luck just gets worse." Tamsin brought her hand to rest against her forehead. She closed her eyes and exhaled a slow breath, trying to comprehend what was being asked of her. "I don't do well with things that involve strange teenagers... or random people."

"Well, that brings us to the next part of the plan." Dyson said as quickly as he could, and in doing to, he made sure to avoid the sudden and cold glare that his partner had shot across to him.

"What _'next'_ part?" Tamsin wasn't thrilled with the initial idea at hand, so it was doubtful that she was going to jump up and down in eager joy at the rest. She didn't particularly feel a great need to commit herself to resolving this problem, it was a well known fact that she didn't get along with a lot of forms of life in this world. Being stuck in a high school was a nightmare for her.

The male detective had known as much, fortunately, hence why he now held a better air of confidence about him, "this isn't the first time that mayhem has gone down in a school or the surrounding town. There was a case similar to this a couple of years ago-"

"Right! Dude, I remember that." Kenzi interrupted out of nowhere, earning her a glance from the other two. She quickly quieted down again, but not before uttering lowly to herself, "some bimbo insulted my boots."

"-as I was saying," Dyson attempted to pick up where he left off, dragging his sights back to his unamused partner, "Kenzi is going to have to go undercover with you. Lets face it, you don't get on with Bo and you're going to need someone to help you out."

Now, the blonde truly was back to her usual point of frustration, "you really are serious about this, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. It's a lot to ask, I know, but given your track record recently, you've shown that you can do the impossible."

"We'll do it!" Kenzi suddenly announced, an aura of glee and excitement about her, "I'll be the Watson to Tamsin's Sherlock, it'll be perfect!"

The valkyrie was seemingly being roped into this new problem without verbally consenting to it. Her partner held faith in her, which was always going to feed into her ego, making her more likely to agree. And perhaps it would do her some good to take her mind off of the succubus. "Fine, I'll play the dutiful teacher in some applepie town, anything to keep the peace," she added through a mumble.

Kenzi was listening and nodding along, flashing between looking at the two figures in front of her, "so what part do I play D-man? The rebellious student? The marvelous sidekick? An assassin in the shadows?"

"Actually," the male began, humorously, "you are going to be the stubborn daughter."

Suddenly, both of the females were hollering the same syllable: _"What!?"_

Dyson had expected as much, therefore, his expression was unchanged. A light grin sat upon his lips, "if you want to keep low suspicions then you have to pretend to be related. Two newcomers suddenly showing up at the same time might forewarn the Fae, but if you are family it won't draw as much attention."

Of the two, Tamsin looked as though she was suffering the most. The idea of her acting as both a mother and a teacher was unthinkable. She couldn't see herself winning the award for worthy parent. "I hate to admit it, but that does make sense. So, tell me, does my beloved _daughter_ attend the school?" She asked while she took a moment to look across to the smaller female standing next to her.

Why did the girl always have to wear a smile of mischief? It was as though she was more thrilled about going on an adventure than anything else in the world. A remarkable and rare trait, no?

"Would I have it any other way? Kenzi has acted as a student before, so her experience will come in handy," Dyson answered, taking a short pause; he then continued, "while you are busy teaching, she can snoop around and try to figure out what some of the other teenagers know."

Tamsin had to take a deep breath, letting all of this sudden and confusing knowledge sink into her head. She closed her eyes and raised her hand, rubbing her fingers against her temple. "Okay, so lets just recap here. Some crazy Fae is killing off kids, so you want me and Kenzi to go undercover in this town - specifically, the high school - so that we can try to figure out where is it? Or rather, _who_ it is?"

"Yes," Dyson confirmed, confidently, "I've already told you that this Fae could be anyone, but it preys on the younger humans, so starting at the school is our best bet."

"Fair enough, now, my next question. You said that this town is quite a distance away, what if it takes a while for us to crack this case? Tell me the place has a decent motel?"

"I reckon it will take longer than a day for you to solve this thing, the accommodation has been worked out. I've pulled a few strings and taken out a lease on a suburban house for you both, y'know, for that family feel." At the end of the male's answer he pulled the set of keys from his pocket and was about to hand them across to the valkyrie, only, Kenzi had snatched them as quick as she could.

Again, the girl appeared to be pretty ecstatic about this as she twirled the small keychain around her index finger. "Oh my god, secret identities and a sweet pad? Do we get walkie-talkies? Or codenames? OH! Or how about nifty gadgets, like James Bond?"

"Kenzi," Tamsin tried to keep the younger female calm.

"Can I have a watch that shoots lasers?"

"Kenzi!" Again, the blonde called out, bringing her hand up to pat the girl on the shoulder in order to put a halt to her child-like rambling. "We're not going to have some ridiculous codenames, that would be far to embarrassing...but a laser watch does sound neat." Ironically, she was now the one tipping her head to the side in thought, as though she wished the item was something she currently possessed - or that existed. However, she quickly placed her attention back onto the main topic, "right, when do we get this show on the road?"

Dyson gave a fleeting glance to the clock on the wall behind him, and then he drew his focus back to his friends, "as soon as you can."

"Hell, I'm ready to leave this very moment, come on kid, lets get going." Tamsin took a hold of the Russian girls arm and began to lead over to the door, well and truly prepared to leave. There was only one 'quaint town' that she knew of that would take at least a day of traveling to get to, which explained why she was confident enough to leave without asking anymore questions.

"Be careful, both of you. This mission might seem fun, but it's not to be taken lightly." The males words were known to be acknowledged when he saw the speedy wave that Kenzi had thrown over her shoulder, but by the look of things she was purely set on this new case that she was involved in. Then again, it was typical that something like this would be right up her alley.

The two females were walking along the corridor, equally more than willing to discuss everything that they had been told - after all, this was going to be quite an experience for them to bond over. Tamsin was preparing to come up with a safely structured plan for them, but alas, her words were cut short, her eyes instantly snapping to look forward. She couldn't explain why her actions were so automatic like that, it was just a sense that tingled in her for no apparent reason.

Yet, the 'reason' became clearer than day itself when she happened to notice that - turning around the corner - was the succubus. There and then it just made perfect clarity as to why she would pick up on something like that. Obviously there was a part of herself that was perpetually linked to knowing when she and the brunette were in the same vicinity. It sure as hell explained why her heart rate had been drumming faster for no cause. Her steps came to a stop, much like the other girl's had also done now that she had attuned into the fact that her best friend was in range. A range that was closing more and more distance. Bo lacked her natural sense of cheerfulness, making her look unusually saddened as she came to stop across from the other two. "Kenzi, there you are. I wondered where you had gotten off to."

Even the words to fall from her lips had a sort of pained softness to them, as if she was trying hard to keep up a normal front. The cause for the distress probably became lucid when she drew her sights to look upon the blonde. She was certain that Tamsin would have swung a punch, or at least done something, but she didn't. It left an atmosphere of increasing tension amidst the three, so she broke it first, "Hey."

"Hey," the valkyrie responded with the same greeting, her voice being unreadable: blank. She kept her gaze onto the brunette, physically unable to look elsewhere.

"Can we... can I talk to you for a moment?" Bo asked, trying with all her might to restrain the desperation in her tone.

Tamsin could have walked into her usual dumb trap of mercy and accepted, but she relied on some inner strength and masterfully sported up a smirk instead, "I'd love to babe, but I'm afraid not."

How did she possess sudden defiance? Even a seeress couldn't call that one. Perhaps she was able to cut herself away to a safer distance more effectively than she had given herself credit for.

She stepped forward, confidently, proving the hard truth of her denial. Before passing Bo completely, she made sure to brush against her shoulder, firm enough to make the movement known. And close enough so that she could intone, "I've got a life to get on with."

Bo's eyes were near to closing when she felt the valkyrie's warm breath rebounding down the side of her neck. She deserved the brush off, she knew that much, but a part of her hadn't expected it. In the past, when she had hurt the blonde, she knew she could still fix the mess, given the chance. Only this time, she _wasn't_ given the chance. As a hasty last resort, she had turned slightly, reaching out to grab at the valkyrie's wrist. "Please."

Well, well, Tamsin had been waiting for _that_ endearing word to crop back up. It was her usual kryptonite, wasn't it?

No, she wouldn't fall down into the clutches of that old circumstance. Lauren and Bo had made a clear and detailed scene this morning, and she couldn't erase any section of the conversation from her mind. All she had to do was reflect over the phrase 'this was just a feed', and then she got herself worked up enough that she could easily snap. "Sorry, my _sweet_ thing. I can't, I'm busy," Tamsin's reply was, again, dismissive and sultry as she kept up with her haughty smirk, "if you wouldn't mind letting my wrist go, otherwise, I will be forced to retaliate."

The warning couldn't have been more plain. Whether the detective would have acted on it or not was another story because as soon as she saw the shift of confusion in the succubus, she yanked her forearm free in one mighty pull. At least now she didn't have to fear about her bluff being called. Her eyes were on Bo's.

And Bo's were on hers.

The atmosphere was never relaxed when they were caught in a staring contest. Normally it either led to an argument, or very unbound sex.

The valkyrie didn't stick around long enough to find out what it would lead to this time, she gave the succubus the 'once over' with her robust irises and then twisted away so that she could proceed down the corridor. Of course, when departing, she didn't forget to call back, "I'll wait outside for you Kenzi."

With that, she left no time inbetween and march along the hallway. Once out of sight, she had more or less dropped the smarmy grin and let her hollowness catch back up with her again.

Since the two friends were left in the empty hallway, Kenzi felt as though a good ear bashing was needed in regards to everything that had gone on. "Well done, smooth pants. I thought people ran to you, not from you."

Bo didn't approve of the blunt comment, but she didn't disregard it either, instead, she partially agreed through a small huff, "I suppose there is a first time for everything."

"Uh huh. Where is your more boring half?" The Russian's reference was to none other than the absent doctor.

Strangely, the succubus didn't appear as enlightened as she normally would have been at the mention of her girlfriend. "Lauren has decided to give our relationship a 'cool off' for a while, whatever the hell that means."

"Thank the seven heavens for that!" Kenzi couldn't stop her applause from running free.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry BoBo, but you can be such a ditz sometimes."

"I say again, excuse me?" The succubus was narrowing her eyes, wondering what her friend was trying to push at with her less than flattering words.

"You've been too focused on your lurve with the doctor that you haven't even realized that the perfect woman has been standing right in front of you the entire time."

"The perfect woman?" Bo's brow rose quickly, her mind only setting onto one person in particular, "Tamsin? No, no way. She's-"

"-the _first_ person you thought of!" Kenzi pointed her index finger forward in an act of immediate victory. "Ah ha!"

The brunette was thrown off by how the younger girl was acting so she scrunched her nose and took a hold of her wrist, guiding it down. "You think that Tamsin - an uptight, stubborn and clashy valkyrie - is the perfect woman for me?"

"Hellz yeah, I don't think, I **know**," the girl corrected in a lecturing voice, allowing her arm to rest down by her side again, "you have been taking her out for one hell of a torture ride."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. She isn't the type to care for others. And I'm sure she considers everything between us as purely physical. She gives me Chi, I give her pleasure."

"That's because you aren't paying attention. It's more than that. Haven't you noticed that she has been picking up all of your pieces? She keeps saving us Bo. She keeps saving _you_. Whenever something goes wrong with Lauren you use her for comfort - and she lets you, every time, even though you discard her in the morning."

Bo was somewhat taken aback, her lips parting once more, "I'm not using her, I'm-"

"Yes you are," Kenzi protested in a light groan, "I know that you get hurt and you need something to fix you, but Tamsin is more than a personal first aid kit. She really cares for you."

"I-"

"She fights for you."

"I know but-"

"And she rescues you."

"Can I please just-"

"She breaks her heart for you!"

"Kenzi!" Bo had to take a light hold of her friend's shoulders, too overwhelmed by everything that was being said. It made her head spin. Maybe she did believe, somewhere, that the valkyrie cared for her. But she thought that was just a Fae-to-Fae thing. Had she been too blind to even acknowledge that the blonde had been there for her more than anyone else over these past three days? She had been too caught up in her own affairs with Lauren that she didn't even stop to notice that other heart that she kept walking over.

"I'm sorry, I might've gotten a little carried away there, but it's all true." Kenzi wouldn't erase anything that she said. She just relayed the facts as they came. She had no reason to lie to the same woman that had become a sister to her in this life.

"If she cares about me, like you say, then why hasn't she said anything?"

"Uh, hello, you are WITH Lauren. She cares about you so much that she is willing to bury her own feelings so that you can be happy. God, even a martian from outer space could see that."

The succubus wasn't giving a reaction as quickly she should have which only proved that she was struggling to let everything sink in. Her stance was limp, her arms hanging loosely down by her sides. "I never meant to hurt her, I just... I didn't want to lose Lauren. I've only just gotten her back and now everything is a mess again."

"It doesn't have to be a mess. You should quit banging the doctor and settle with the valkyrie. You could be happy with her. Don't get me wrong, Lauren is nice and all, but the two of you haven't been fine in a long time."

"Which is my fault because I keep screwing up on a daily basis," Bo threw her hands up in defeat, stepping aside to lurch with her back against the wall, "I don't see why anyone would even want to be with me. I try to do the right thing and everyone else gets hurt by the choices I make."

Kenzi's eyebrows knitted sympathetically as she moved forward so that she could continue to stand opposite from her friend. "You are good BoBo, you're a little slow, but good."

"And Tamsin isn't, which sets us worlds apart."

"Just because she isn't good to the rest of the world doesn't mean that she wouldn't be good for you."

"But I can't get through to her, I've tried to get past those walls of hers Kenz, and let me tell you it is not easy. I want her to let me all the way in."

The younger girl could understand that it wasn't a pleasant situation for the succubus or valkyrie to be in. "Can you blame her? It's hard to let someone in when they love another."

Bo sighed and watched her feet, beginning to feel like a child who was being scolded by a parent. She had never expected that Kenzi of all people who be standing here, defending the detective, but life was just throwing surprises from here, there and everywhere lately. "You're right, I have been selfish around her. I know it's shallow but I just... I do want her all to myself."

"Really?" Kenzi's ears perked, several ideas already running through her genius little mind, "so what you're saying is that you would get mega jealous if someone else tried to win her over?"

"Like I said, shallow right?"

"Well, yes, but it's understandable. She is quite the catch, I bet dozens of people would kill each other to get a chance with her."

"Mmm hmm, and then I'd kill those dozens of people to make sure they didn't get a chance." Bo might of came of a little cold at the end of her words. She wouldn't actually take someone's life for petty reasons, such as envy, but she did hold a lot of truth in the fact that she couldn't stomach the thought of some stranger with their hands all over the valkyrie.

"Wow, so you're like freaky-possessive over her? That's a little greedy, wonder woman. You can have sex with Lauren AND you still want to keep Tamsin as your hopeless prisoner of love?"

"It's wrong of me, I can see that, but there is just something about her Kenzi. _Something_ that I can't let go of. Not that it matters, after this morning I've screwed everything up. With Lauren and with Tamsin."

"Well, just give it some time." Kenzi piped up in a mysterious way, but at the word 'time' she recalled that she was also had something to get back to. "Look, BoBo, I don't have time to stay and chat right now, but how can I put this any simpler?" She took a light hold of the succubus by the shoulders and began to give her a good, albeit, steady shake. "Tamsin is crazy for you! So stop breaking her heart and start fixing it!"

When she felt that her friend was too dazed by the movement, she stopped, feeling as if she had made her point clear enough. "Now, I love you and I'll see you when I get back."

With all said and done, the Russian girl had pulled away, beginning to make a speedy walk along the same corridor that the detective had departed off in previously. "Oh, by the way, the blonde hottie and I are away on some awesome mission, so we'll probably be back in a couple of days, don't wait up!"

By the time that Bo had managed to come to her senses, she only caught the latter half of what her friend had said. "A mission?" Blinking, she glanced down the hallway, but Kenzi was already gone by the time that she had looked. "Well this is just perfect, no Lauren, no Kenzi... _no Tamsin._" Pouting to herself, she made a slow and sluggish walk along to the main office. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was probably suffering from a horrible spree of bad luck. Kenzi, bless her soul, had said a lot of things which the succubus hadn't even considered before. A heart was a fragile thing, and it sounded like she had been holding onto Tamsin's for a very long time. She may not have known how true that was, but she hoped that she would find out. Although, if the blonde was going to be gone for the next few days then it would be a slow and agonizing torture to endure.

Once the succubus had made her way into the main room, where a few other law enforcers were working, she soon set her gaze onto Dyson, seeing that his attention was stuck down onto paperwork, as usual. As she approached him, she tried to wear at least a small smile.

However, the male, instinctively, was the one to speak first, "haven't you and Kenzi gone already?" His voice had been calm, but when he looked across his shoulder, he was stunned to find that he wasn't addressing who he had first assumed. "Bo?" Questioning her presence instantly, he rose from the seat. Similar to before, he now found that he could smell Tamsin's scent all over the brunette. How odd.

"Oh, right, sorry about that. I've decided to borrow Tamsin's shirt. My own one was a little ruined." She came up with a simple excuse; unaware that the valkyrie had used something along the same lines.

Dyson was vastly intelligent, he could pin point what was going on very quickly. The two females must have been intimate last night. He couldn't tell whether they lied about it out of embarrassment, or due to the fact that feelings may have developed. Either way, at least it gave him something to tease his partner about at a later date. "That was lucky."

"Yes, it sure was... she's a... a pretty handy girl," Bo commented sheepishly, running her finger along the top of the table, "just out of curiosity, where is she going?"

It was only natural that the succubus wanted to figure out what this mission was. Other than the fact that she genuinely worried for the safety of both females, she now had a new intent to want to have a conversation with Tamsin.

So, surely if she just happened to pay a surprise visit to the two then she could accomplish her goal?

* * *

Well, you guys wanted more Tamsin/Kenzi so I hope I've delivered for you. Now they're both roped into a mission together. XD

Tamsin undercover...as a teacher as well as Kenzi's 'mother' ? I can see a lot of fun between the two of them on this case. And won't it be even more entertaining if our dear Bo ends up paying a visit? ;D

And as for the whole new 'Fae', I just seemed to make the name up from the top of my head. I can't recall if/whether it's been done before or a thing, and if so then WOOPS, apologies. Ah, Cor Devoratrix... at first I thought, _what the hell?_ But then it grew on me. When in doubt, Latin comes in handy, folks. c':

(Thanks for the lovely reviews, you guys are all amazing! c': )

_Guest(s)_ - Well, thank you all for the wonderful comments. It always makes me smile to read your gracious words. It amazes me that you are all still so involved with following the story this far! I'm extremely grateful for that and it seems difficult to even put it across into mere words. x]  
I'm glad that you all like the Kenzi/Tamsin interactions. The scenes are such a blast to write because the two of them can just go on and on about everything.  
If anyone is capable of knocking some sense into our dearest Bo then it is going to be Kenzi! She will give her a mouthful of wise words. c':  
I also agree that I believe Tamsin is a much better match for Bo; she is able to protect her and care for her unconditionally, which is a beautiful and strong trait to find in a person.

And yes, I love these constant Buffy references to, the show is awesome, so I take that as very high praise indeed. A Halloween prank sounds awesome to me! The time is drawing nearer after all. ;D  
Kenzi is definitely on team Valkubus, mainly because Tamsin actually seems to care about her, hence why she has been more than willing to save her life twice now. The two of them have certainly bonded over it and I think their friendship will just continue to blossom.

_summersunshine8_ - Ah merci my darling, I'm thrilled to hear that you like the Kenzi/Tamsin stuff, I'll be sure to write loads more. ;D

_shannon1419_ - Well, what can I say, perhaps Kenzi might want to set things up in a way so that Bo will have no choice but to become jealous if someone else tries to approach Tamsin. ;)

_Khrat9_ - Awh, well, rest assured, I'd have given you a handkerchief. (';  
I'm glad that you are able to see things from Bo's side, when I write from her point of view, I try to sympathize with her, because it can't be easy for her, coming to this sort of crossroads in her love life. When Tamsin left, I think it really hit home with her this time.  
Haha, thanks! I love that you enjoyed the Harry Potter reference, I couldn't resist throwing it in there. It just sounded like something that Kenzi would have to say. xD  
Hm, a very good question. Maybe Tamsin is running from being a hero because she doesn't want the responsibility of having to save everyone. Perhaps it's a burden she fears because she would never want to fail. Therefore, but denying it, she doesn't have a 'role of virtue' that she has to live up to. She can make mistakes and get angry, which most superficial heroes never do. They are expected to be perfect, maybe someone will open her eyes though. But I do think that she considers Bo a true saint and savior.  
To me, personally, a hero is someone who can save the day without hopes of a reward. Someone that doesn't give up and defies the odds. A person who can care for others and rise to defend a person they love without a second thought. Sometimes it isn't the 'nicest' person that makes a hero, it is the person who pours their heart into making life a good place for those they care for. And what would your definition of a hero be? :'D

_Snagam80_ - Exactamuno! When in doubt, Kenzi is always there to brighten the mood!  
I'm giving you front row seats and as much unlimited Thieverie as I can. ;D  
Kenzi and Tamsin are very entertaining together, hence why I couldn't resist writing them both into some new crazy mission! I always keep my promises, and I'm blessed to hear that you enjoy reading about those two crazy girls and their wacky adventures. There will be plenty more to come, I can assure you of that! Kenzi is my secret weapon. x]

_Dark Lord Daishi _ - I think that Kenzi has finally given Bo the wake up call that everyone has been hoping for. xD  
Well, you never know, Bo might have to prove herself by being the hero this time... (;

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Tam-Tam is having one hell of a hard time, isn't she? But she's tough, she'll cope. And if not, Kenzi will be there to support her! c':

_petronguacomole_ - Why hello there! Thank you so much for the lovely review. And I must admit I have to agree, my writing does have it's flaws, such as the flow etc. It's the trade off for frequent updates, I just give it the quick once over and then post it. A shot in the dark, really. But I'm always more than willing to take on any tips/advice, there's always room for improvement after all. ;D  
But all in all, thank you again, it's wonderful to know that you are enjoying this fic, it only motivates me to write more and more! You're awesome! x]

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - I know, I know, I'm horrible when it comes to torturing Valkubus! c;  
But, on the up side, Kenzi has finally laid down the law with Bo; so hopefully she has actually opened her eyes to how much our favorite valkyrie is in love with her.  
Tamsin decking Bo, huh? I'll have to keep that one in mind. xD

_Shenaynay187_ - Well, Tamsin does make a pretty tough punching bag. She's a hard woman to break, but I love how supportive you are to her as a character. I think you're right about the karma beginning to turn on Bo. xD  
Ah, I take it you're not a fan of Lauren either then? ;D  
All in all, thank you for taking the time to read and review, I appreciate it! x


	11. Turn The Tables

"The more you hurt.

The more you heal.

The more you'll figure out."

- You Are Not, _Young Guns_

* * *

"Dude... are we there yet?" A small groan escaped from Kenzi as she slouched back in the passenger seat, attempting to get a more comfortable position. It felt as if the journey to this other town was lasting a lifetime, or ten. Ever since they left the station - and the valkyrie had picked up her truck - they had been on the road non-stop. By the time they had left it was later in the evening. And now it happened to be dawning earlier into the morning. Dyson hadn't been lying when he explained the taxing length that this ride had taken. The girl's thoughts were drifting; lingering on home. Or to be specific, Bo, and the last conversation that they had engaged in. She didn't believe that she was harsh in her approach - but a swift wake up call had been sorely needed. Her best friend was in a toss up of confusion, caught in the crossfire of wanting safety and familiarity with Lauren, or a new type of dedication and new beginnings with Tamsin. Personally, Kenzi couldn't see any hardship between choosing one option over the next, but then, she wasn't Bo, per se. She had seen the brilliant and overwhelming heart that the succubus possessed; the strength and kindness that were all wrapped up inside of her. So of course it was eating her up, good people never wanted to let the world down.

Having been too wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn't focused on the driver's response as much as originally intended. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said that we are almost there," Tamsin replied, casting a suspicious look over to her little companion, "you look pensive."

"Who me? No, no way. You're just imagining things, blondie." Kenzi's response was timely as she glanced outside of the window next to her, spying the unfamiliar territory that they were in.

"Imagining things, am I?" The valkyrie wasn't convinced as she brought her focus back to the road. Her hands gripped firmer onto the steering wheel as she tried to figure out why the young girl was suddenly disguising the fact that she was mulling over something, "you haven't been your usual loudmouth self, I'm growing concerned. You're not frightened about the big bad Fae that we're going to be tracking, are you?" she pressed the topic through a subtle tease. Either way, she planned on getting an honest answer from the thief, all she had to do way play around with a few words here and there.

Kenzi scoffed and shook her head, "I'm so not afraid of some Fae, even if it does eat hearts, which is kinda gross," her rambling spree could have gone on for hours if she let it, but she stopped herself and moved onto another explanation, "it's Bo, I'm worried about her."

"Oh yeah?" Tamsin tried to sound interested, but really, she didn't want to endure a conversation that was going to be based around the same person she needed emotional distance from.

"Yeah, it turns out that doctor know-it-all has scarpered from their relationship. Some lame thing about cooling off, or a break, I dunno."

"That sucks."

"_Please_, like you weren't hoping that this would happen," the girl rolled her eyes, unable to stop a very small grin from spreading across her lips, "Lauren and Bo are going down in flames and I'm supposed to sit here and believe that you aren't happy about that?"

"I don't want your best friend to suffer, but she had this coming. The doctor isn't able to provide the daily needs for a succubus. Maybe if she was Fae then it would be different. But she's not, so Bo is always going to have to rely on getting a fix from someone else, which means that she is never going to be solely exclusive to Lauren." Tamsin had gone over the prospect of the other female's love life a thousand times in her head. She had come to a lot of conclusions, but the basis for each one was that a human and succubus could never provide equally for one another.

"Jeez, thought about it much?" Kenzi's cheeks were puffing a little, because honestly, she was surprised that the blonde hadn't immediately started to act smug about what she had just been told. Although, she didn't bring that up, she just waited, beginning to count down how many seconds it would take until some form of a rapturous reaction was expressed.

Tamsin appeared to be biting down on the inside of her cheek, suppressing a smirk, "I love irony. I've been longing for a woman who is in a relationship, and now that it's on a hiatus I have to be out of the damn town." It was amusing to an extent. The perfect chance at winning the succubus over had finally come about; and she just had to be working on a case. Screw you fate.

She was willing to bet that by the time this was over and done with, the relationship would no doubt be mended and she'd have missed the opportunity.

"Queen of ice, Queen of arrogance and Queen of bad luck? Your crown must be getting pretty heavy with all of those titles." Even the girl had to confess that she did not envy the blonde's position when it came to matters of the heart. It made her paranoid to even think how wounded the vital organ had become over all of this drama of love and lust. "Seriously though, I know it sucks and everything, but spending a few days away from all of that crap will do you some good."

"No arguments there, the less I hear about the succubus the better. It's bad enough that you had to listen to her whine about Lauren, so I think we could both use a break," the valkyrie's responses were becoming more settled, like she was easing the constant weight from her mind.

"Yep, absolutely." Unfortunately, Kenzi didn't have the courage to explain that she had actually monopolized the entire conversation with Bo - talking about the blonde's feelings. But, if Tamsin was under the impression that it had just been about the doctor, then who was she to prove her wrong? Hell, she figured that she'd get her ass kicked if she told the truth.

Before a further discussion could be delved into between the two females, Tamsin noticed that they had finally reached the town. It really did look like some typical cozy village; modern, yes, but also chaste and innocent. It would be impossible to imagine that there were so many vicious killings going on in such an area in the world - but if just proved that nowhere in life was truly safe. 'What a humble little place', the valkyrie was musing to herself, roaming her eyes over the pristine buildings. It was scenic to an extent

"This is totally taking me back to the days of A Nightmare on Elm Street, I swear to God if a man with razor fingers starts to chase us then I will never forgive you for roping me into this," Kenzi did end up rambling; her voice between playful and curious.

The valkyrie didn't know what to make of the constant movie references, but she could see the girl's point. The town did give off a vibe of being too nice for it's own good. As most horror films went, this would be the perfect place for a dark past, wouldn't it? Although, she was more focused with wanting to touch upon something else that had been said. "I roped you into this? Are you kidding me? _You_ were the one who squealed in joy and dragged _me_ into this, just to clear things up."

"Can you blame me? Life with you seems boundless and awesome, like one big constant adventure!"

"Oh no, please don't tell me that you're starting to get attached. The last thing I need is the succubus' little human pet following me around like a puppy."

"Don't act like you don't love it, Missy Proudpants. Lets face the facts here, at least if you're cool with me then it'll earn you some major points with my bestie. Am I right?" The Russian was starting to grin as if she knew that what she had said was only going to be the dead truth.

Tamsin didn't have a quick comeback which was a sign that she couldn't think of a valid disagreement, but eventually she scrunched her nose. Her gaze was currently shifting from the window and then to the female next to her. She happened to be a multitasker when it came to navigating to the street that this rented house of theirs would be at, as well as continuing a flow of conversation. "I do not dote on Bo _that_ much. Really, she can live whatever life she chooses, I don't care. I refuse to change what I do, or more importantly, who I am, because of some Chi stealing doctor lover."

"Ugh, you can be such a handful, I already know that you **do** care for Bo, so why do you have to keep fooling yourself? Come on, Tamsin, we're friends."

Hearing the confirmation that they were indeed friends caused the blonde to soften her expression. Perhaps she was being unfair. Her feelings had been proven guilty by the girl next to her, but for reasons of inner defense she would constantly hold the instinct to want to hide away. "Alright, _friend_, I'll give you a fair answer, but only once. After that, no more talk of Bo. Agreed?"

Kenzi was hesitant at first although that faded and she nodded, twisting in her position so that she could put all of her attention onto the valkyrie, rather than the passing buildings. She didn't know where they were going anyway, so this was a better option for her. "Okay, agreed. No more BoBo."

"Right," Tamsin had somehow hoped that it wouldn't come to this, alas though, if there was anyone she was glad to confide in, oddly, it was the thief, "I care for Bo, very much. I never knew that someone like her could exist. She is my polar opposite, but, I'm enthralled by her kindness. It's blinding." Taking a pause, she wanted to smile, but resisted at all costs. Even now, she couldn't afford to come across as soft. Serious was what she was going for. Honesty at it's finest. "Although, seeing her with Lauren this morning reminded me that I am just chasing an illusion. So, I'm done. I wish I could erase my feelings for her, but I _can't_. The best I can do is to bury them in the back of my heart. She has become the better part of my life."

Judging by the other girl's expression, she actually hadn't assumed that the detective would have ever been as genuine as she was. It brought a sense of sadness, mainly due to the fact that Tamsin had to entomb her love for the succubus. No one should have to endure that type of punishment. Kenzi's regular wit was unable to surface as she watched the driver across from her. She couldn't fathom an endearing response to conjure, so she settled with leaning over and planting a light kiss to the valkyrie's cheek instead. The affection was intended to be a comforting gesture. "You are one of a kind, goldielocks."

As anyone could probably guess, the blonde had reacted immaturely as she brought her hand up to wipe down the area of flesh that had recently been a target to the girl's soft lips. "Kenzi." She uttered the name as though the female had spilled a can of paint on the floor. Internally though, she was deeply grateful to have someone who held regard for her. Having a person who expressed themselves freely was a blessing, not that she would admit that right now however.

"What? You were being sweet, for once. Your cheek just screamed 'kiss me', so I did." The girl answered, promptly.

"Well, I suppose I can't blame you. If you're going to kiss any woman in your life, then at least you have great taste."

"Don't flatter yourself, I couldn't think of any words. So my lips done the talking for me, literally."

"Uh huh, sure, if that's your excuse," Tamsin spoke slyly, wanting to wind the female up, "I think you just have a major soft spot for me, inside that gothic little heart of yours."

Kenzi couldn't believe how quickly the woman was able to rebound and tease her over the decent gesture she had given. She should have seen this coming. "Can we just go back to you being all romantic again? I liked that better."

"No way, we made a bargain that there would be no more talk about the blissful bane of my life." The valkyrie put a stop to her words when she flickered her gaze over to see that the truck had reached the street in which the hired house resided. Luckily coming to the destination had spared Kenzi from further torment. Their altering discussion had come to a close for the time being as she tried to spy the numbers on each of the doors. It was a good thing that the address was written on one of the keychains that Dyson had given her. When she saw the twenty-third house, she knew to turn the vehicle into the empty driveway and done so without any questions. The clock on the dash read 7.57 am, which was good fortune. After the tedious drive they had made it here in record time, meaning that starting work at the school in the same day was going to be a breeze.

"Wow, who knew wolves were so good at choosing houses!" Kenzi exclaimed in a burst of short excitement, she was rushing from the truck as soon as the engine was turned off, "come on blondie, lets go and check it out!" So, she made it sound as if the adventure had already begun and in a way it had. She was racing ahead like an enthusiastic young girl. But it was difficult to blame her when considering that the accommodation happened to be a neat looking house. Suburban or not, it carried a feel of 'family' about it. The type of building that would have more than enough room for four people, if not five. God only knew how long this case could take them, so she was thrilled that they had a nice roof above their heads. Staying in some cheap, run of the mill, motel would have been soul destroying. Even when Tamsin had approached the door and unlocked it, Kenzi happened to be the one who turned the handle first. As before, she raced inside.

The valkyrie found it to be an innocent trait, she shook her head, wearing a small grin as she too walked over the threshold and into the house. Out of common habit she closed the door behind as her vision was fixed upon the new and unexplored interior. The hallway was neat and there were a few pictures dotted around. As far as decor went, it was liveable. Dyson had certainly gone to a lot of trouble to set all of this up, but he wouldn't have done so if he didn't believe the mission to be one of importance.

Tamsin paced forward, unsure of where the girl had ran off to, so she was becoming acquainted with the layout of the building by herself. There were four possible rooms that the corridor branched off to, which she discovered to be the kitchen, the living area, a study and a conservatory. Next to the latter was the traditional staircase which led to the second floor. "Not bad, partner. Not bad at all." Since she couldn't give the male her thanks in person, a silent mumble had to do for now. "Try not to break anything Kenzi," she called out, still uncertain as to where the other female had scampered off to this time.

"I won't!" The girl replied, her voice coming from the floor above. She was a little speed devil when she wanted to be, wasn't she? "Tamsin, get your ass up here, you've gotta see this."

Well, there was no rest for the wicked. The blonde avoided searching the remainder of the rooms on the ground level and made her way to the staircase. She was intrigued to find out what the fuss was about and ascended the steps as quickly as she could. Once at the top, she glanced to her left and then to her right. She chose to walk down the latter after recalling that it sounded as though Kenzi's voice had come from the east side of the building. There were two doors down this side; one being the bathroom, which was empty, and the other showing itself to be the master bedroom. Tamsin could see the female standing by the mattress, so she entered upon sight. "What's the problem?"

"Oh, there isn't a problem," Kenzi beamed as she spun around to face the woman, holding two hangers in her hands. One which was attached to a grey pencil skirt, and the other; a white blouse. "I found these on the bed. It looks like the D-man has sorted your outfit for yah. There's an envelope on the bed."

Tamsin's eyes were wide when she saw the formal attire, it must have looked like someone had just told her that she was going to die tomorrow. "He expects me to wear _that?_" Shaking her head, she found herself moving closer to the edge of the mattress so that she could pick up the beige envelope. In a single swift movement, she pulled the seal open and pried the letter out of it, unfolding the paper so that she could read it clearly. For both of their interests, she read it aloud; "Hey partner, I took the liberty of sorting everything out for you. I know you'd rather wear jeans and carry a colt revolver with you and I couldn't take that chance. All you need to do is get yourself changed and show up at the school, the rest will unfold. No thanks required. Dyson." Throughout reciting what had been written, she was making a mental note that when she returned to the station, she and the male were going to do some serious sparring. "P.s, the house wasn't easy to come by, so make sure Kenzi doesn't break anything."

The small addition to the letter caused the girl's jaw to hang open, a feigned look of shock crossing her face, "why does everyone think that I'll wreck everything I touch?"

"Probably because you will," Tamsin grinned as she crumpled the small letter and placed it down onto the wooden counter next to the bed. Said expression soon dropped when she saw that the female was still holding the smart attire that she was expected to wear. "Why do I have dress like that? Can't you do it instead?"

"Ah-ha, no. I'm a student, I get to wear whatever the hell I want on campus. You, my dear valkyrie, you're just going to have to take one for the team this time." Kenzi pushed both clothing hangers into the blonde's arms, "now go and get yourself changed, oh, and don't forget the heels." She concluded as she lifted up the pair of neat shoes that were tucked on the ground by the bedpost. As with the previous items, she too ushered that to the pouting valkyrie.

"I'm never going to forgive the wolf for this," Tamsin reluctantly took a hold of the clothing and turned around so that she could exit out towards the bathroom, "I'll be quick."

"No worries my blonde bombshell, I'll just lounge on this overly comfortable bed..." The Russian girl lazily slumped back onto the mattress, giving a satisfied sigh as she felt how relaxing it was against her stiff joints. Sitting in the truck had been a nightmare, but at least everything was sailing clear now. Her eyelids flickered shut as she waited. Every so often she could hear muffled obscenities from along the corridor, so she assumed that the blonde must have hated the need to change into an outfit that was less 'fight ready'. She let the mission play through inside of her head once more; they had to pretend to be a part of some lame community so that they could infiltrate a school and figure out who the Fae was. In theory it didn't seem like the hardest challenge ever, but Kenzi knew otherwise. In her experience over the years, she was aware that everything wasn't what it seemed. Usually it would be her and Bo as the savior duo, but on this occasion it was the one and only valkyrie. Not that she was going to complain about that, ever since she saw how Tamsin had single-handedly taken down a family of Under Fae, she felt completely safe whilst in her company. Perhaps even safer than she would feel if she was with Dyson, or the succubus.

The difference between the three was that the blonde's methods were extreme, if need be. If she had to lose an arm to ensure that she didn't fail, then she would. And because of that fact alone, Kenzi knew that Tamsin would do anything to protect her. It was like she had her very own guardian angel... well, valkyrie. But still, there were celestial traits; the pale skin, blonde hair, bright eyes. The girl wanted to delve in to a deeper analysis over the subject, but she was drawn back into reality when she heard the sound of the heels clicking along the hallway. The noise grew closer and closer until she could guess that the older female was back in the room. As she opened her eyes, she propped herself up so she could lean on her elbows. The moment she saw the refined appearance of the blonde, she pursed her lips and gave a prolonged whistle of flattery. "Damn, teachers just got hot."

Tamsin wasn't sure whether she wanted to take that as a good thing or not. Walking in anything less than flat boots was a new feeling that she didn't enjoy having to adjust to. As for the skirt, well, it restricted more leg movement than she had liked. And the blouse hugged to her body in all of the right ways. "How am I supposed to fight in this?"

"Honey, you won't have to lift a finger, the world will drop dead when they see you," Kenzi smirked and shifted onto her knees, before eventually she crawled off of the bed so that she could approach the blonde.

"Ha ha, very funny." The valkyrie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring to the wall next to her. Dyson really was going to get his ass thoroughly kicked for this little present.

"I'm being serious, I might not be playing for the home team, but you'd definitely be number one on my 'super bangable' list."

"Really?" Tamsin's ear perked at the mention of being first. She may have been staring icicles at the wall, but she was tempted to soften her expression as she looked back across to the girl. "I'm above everyone else?"

"In this outfit? Hells to the bells yeah." The girl's enthusiasm never wavered as she brought her hands up to rest against the valkyrie's shoulders, "remind me to knock some more sense in Bo when I see her again."

"Sure you could-" Pausing instantly, the valkyrie's eyebrows knitted in confusion over what had just been said, "wait, what do you mean?"

"Oh shit." Kenzi realized her slip-up and so took a step back.

"Kenzi, enlighten me as to what 'sense' you knocked into Bo..." Tamsin came close to growling as she lessened the distance by taking a small stride forward. "I thought the two of you were talking about Lauren back at the station."

"Right... we were, for about fifteen seconds," the thief gulped and pointed her index finger out to the blonde before she began to force a nervous chuckle from her lips, "really, you're going to laugh about this one day."

"_What_ did you tell her, goth?" While taking another step, the detective was preparing to make a lunge if need be, given the predatory gleam that was shining in her eyes.

Kenzi saw the obvious sign and furthered backing away, "uh, well, I might have mentioned a teenie tiny bit to Bo that you were...absolutely crazy about her."

"You did WHAT!?"

"Yeah, um. Bye!" Kenzi was quick to rush to the side, avoiding being grasped by a mere inch or so. She sped straight to the exit of the room and began to run for dear life down the hallway without looking back.

"Why you little...ugh, get your ass back here so I can throttle you to death!" Tamsin, like a hurricane, began to pursue the younger female as quickly as she could - but the heeled shoes were hindering her movements much more than was desirable. Not to forget that when she came to the staircase, it was a chore to sprint down with the way the skirt caused her limits.

"I was doing you a favor! I swear! I was opening her eyes and making her realize how much you lurve her!" As the Russian girl reached the front door, she grasped the handle and hauled it open, leaving nothing to chance. Having a pissed off valkyrie chasing her down was incredibly fun and incredibly terrifying.

By the time it had taken Tamsin to reach the ground floor again, she could see that the younger female had the option of fleeing from the house. Touché, Kenzi. A smart move. "YOU DID NOT SAY THAT I LOVE HER, DID YOU?"

"Well, not directly, but I'm sure if she read between the lines then..." Pausing, the thief shook her head, "Hey! You should be thanking me, I just told her everything that you were too scared to say."

"Oh, you're right, I should be grateful," Tamsin wore a slightly crazed smirk as she began to waltz forward, taking the time to roll up the sleeves of her blouse, "c'mere, let me show you just how grateful I _really_ am."

"Uh uh, not a chance, I'd be safer running into Cujo right now than letting you 'thank' me." Kenzi was wearing a sheepish smile as she back out of the house and into the daylight outdoors. Fortune must have been shining down upon her for a change, because at least she could use a valid excuse for her escape. "Besides, we should focus on making it to the school in time, we don't want to be late for our first day, right?"

Tamsin was following sharply behind each movement, but she refused to alter her sights from the Russian, "I think we've got time to spare."

When Kenzi realized that the valkyrie was still set on approaching her to get some payback, she knew that she only had one option left. "Well, you leave me with no choice, Slamsin." In the following second, she turned on her heels and literally began to sprint along the driveway, past the truck. As if she was going to risk sharing the same vehicle with the blonde right now, oh no, she'd rather run all the way to the school instead. Thankfully they had driven by it earlier when trying to find the house, so she knew exactly where she was going. "C'ya!"

The detective watched through a narrowing gaze as the younger girl made a dash as if her life was dependent on it, "run all you want, I'm going to bump into you at some point, we're going to the same place!" she called out, factually. The excitement of this chase was making her blood pump faster through her veins. Tamsin closed the door to the house and then locked it with the keys she had been supplied with. As she began to walk down the small pathway, her eyebrow rose and she turned her attention to the left, seeing that the pair of elderly neighbors next door had been watching the scene. "Children these days, am I right?" Offering a feigned smile, she didn't wait for a response but just placed her focus back onto departing from the grounds of the house again.

Kenzi's form was becoming more and more distant as she rushed along the street and that was the greatest incentive for the valkyrie to start running after her.

They must have made quite the image for themselves already - playing a game of cat and mouse in the town. In spite of how it probably looked, it did happen to be a jest. Tamsin held no genuine ill will or aggression to the girl, but she took immense delight in giving her these small scares. Tormenting her was the best sort of entertainment that existed right now.

It was only a matter of time until she was going to catch her, since they were both currently aiming to reach the same building.

* * *

In fact, in reality, it had taken approximately ten minutes for the high school to be reached. And that was without transport, so driving by car or truck, as it were, would have taken even less time. By the time Kenzi had gotten herself to the front of the grounds, she was panting and wheezing labored breaths. She probably didn't have to run the full way here, but she done so anyway. If the blonde got her way then she would no doubt use torturous teasing methods to get her own back and that was one fate which had to be avoided. The girl's blue eyes scoped out the area, spying many teens who were walking around the campus. Most were grouped in threes and fours, making it seem as though cliques were strongly formed; jocks, cheerleaders, whiz kids. The usual really. There were a few heads turning her way as she began to walk to the double entrance doors. The people considered her peers were instant to gossip. She could practically hear them whispering to one another and downsizing her because of her darker colored dress scheme. In hindsight, maybe it would have been best to have came here with Tamsin, but, it was done now and so she headed inside.

Although - to her utmost shock - she saw that standing at the wall by the reception just happened to be said valkyrie. "What the...? How the hell did you beat me here? In heels?"

The detective was smirking in that mysterious way of hers as she pushed away from where she had been standing. Uncrossing her arms she walked forward to little the distance, "I have my ways."

Just at the two were in arms reach of one another, Tamsin could sense that someone was approaching them, from her peripheral vision, so she cast a small glance to the side. It happened to be a male, clean cut and smartly dressed. The rector of the school? She assumed so.

"Excuse me, ladies, is there something I can help you with today?" He asked in a rarely kind manner, keeping his arms crossed behind his back, making him look further professional, if anything.

Not that the blonde had paid too much notice to that, it was hard to focus on anything else in life other than the succubus. It truly did make her blind to all others. "Actually, yes, there is. I've been assigned to fill in the post for the recently absent teacher in this-"

"Ah, say no more." The male cut her off through a small chuckle as he extended his left hand outward, "you must be Mrs Valentine, the history teacher, correct?"

_'Mrs...what!? Oh Dyson, you are so dead.'_ Tamsin was outraged at the surname she had been given for this undercover story. She tried with all of her might to keep a smile on her lips as she gripped the male's hand. Although her actions were probably too firm given the look of initial surprise on his face. "Yes, that's me. History and all." At least she was given a decent position in the building. If she had been assigned to physical education it would have been a horror for everyone. Too many students would have been sent home sick with injuries. Historical studies were something she could live with. As soon as she could, she pulled her hand back to herself.

"My name is John. I'm the head master as this school, so I make it a point of greeting the newest members." The man explained in good faith before he set his sights onto the other girl. "Your daughter, I presume?"

Tamsin was reminded of that very fact when it was spoken and so she nodded confidently, "yes, this is my little Kenzi. Isn't she just the sweetest thing?" She wore a genuine grin as she brought her hands up to give the female's cheeks a teasing pinch, purely to try and embarrass her. And it must have worked when she heard the small groan as well as the way that the thief had tried to pull back. "Oh, she's just a little shy."

Kenzi's face was flushing red as she glanced down, deciding to watch her own boots instead. She was mumbling incoherently to herself.

The head teacher had been watching the display, soon nodding, "indeed, although I would never have imagined that you two would be related. You must keep yourself in excellent shape."

Receiving an unexpected compliment from a stranger wasn't something that the blonde was used to. She hesitated before laughing light heartedly, "I know," her initial reply was vain, but she amended it, "the kid keeps me on my feet, what can I say, she's a mommy's girl, isn't that right pumpkin?" Looking back to Kenzi, she could see how uncomfortable she was making her feel. This was an excellent form of revenge for the way the female had divulged precious information to the succubus. Damn it, Tamsin wished she was a fly on the wall during that conversation.

"Yes, I just love her to pieces." The Russian female was speaking lowly to herself, refusing to glance up.

The valkyrie chuckle and wrapped one of her arms around the girl, tugging her in closer, "she's just like one of those teddies that you see in a store... the type that you want to hug to death." An awkwardness lingered in the air between the three, and then Tamsin clicked back into reality, "so, John, is there a protocol for getting started? Do I have to go through an introduction or can I just delve into things?"

"Well, if your daughter signs herself in by the reception, then I've assigned one of the prefects to guide her around the building and direct her to her assorted classes. And I'll personally escort you to where you need to go." The male explained, giving frequent looks from the blonde and then to the dark haired girl. "If that is fine with the two of you, of course."

Kenzi and Tamsin exchanged a stare, both speaking in unison, "sure."

The detective was the first to scrunch her nose due to the way that they had some things in common, but she forced the thought from her mind and gave a small nod, "okay," squeezing the female lightly, she asserted her answer through a second nod, "alright. That sounds fine by me. Kenzi, be good." Finding that another act of subtlety was needed she moved forward, as though intending to give the girl a hug, however, she simply drew her lips by her ear. "If something goes wrong, find me. I'd sooner unleash war in this town than risk your safety." Keeping her words silent yet serious, she pulled away, removing all form of contact she had.

"Alright, thanks..._mom_. I'll see you later." Kenzi wore a small smile as she directed her attention to the office at the back of the hallway.

Inhaling slowly, she left the company of the other two and ventured across. Attending classes was the last thing that she wanted to do, but she was going to have to make uncomfortable sacrifices; befriending others and figuring out what the rest of the staff were like. For all she knew, the Fae could be watching her right at this moment. Every student she walked by eyed her curiously and she wasn't sure who was human and who wasn't.

Tamsin found it hard to let Kenzi out of her sights, she was the only person in this godforsaken town that meant a dime. The noise of the man clearing his throat was what had drawn her focus elsewhere. She stared at him, trying to analyze whether he was genuine or not.

"Shall we proceed?" The male asked, extending his arm out to indicate to the direction of where the specific classroom would reside.

"Sure." As the blonde began to walk along the corridor with the fellow employee, she could feel the eyes of the majority of students on her. Most of which were lecherous stares. Sly remarks and hushed innuendos were bouncing from wall to wall, which caused her blood to boil. If she wanted she could put everyone in this hallway into a state of unconsciousness, but she resisted the need to stoop so low as to using her powers due to petty irritation. "So, I imagine that the murders in this town have everyone on edge."

"It has caused quite the scare amongst our students and their parents, but the mayor of the community is doing what he can." The man explained, sounding calm about the event.

"From the rumors I've heard, a lot of the bodies were found near the school grounds, doesn't that make you worry about your staff?"

"Oh no, the people who work in this building are all good, I've known them for many years, they would never commit such a violent and unforgivable crime."

"Well, that's a comfort to know." Tamsin wasn't even aware that the male was smiling to her the whole time that they were talking. Her focus was roaming along the lockers and the roof, checking for anything that could push her onto a lead as to why these murders were taking place, or who was behind them. Her investigation had officially begun.

"Forgive me for prying, but I couldn't help noticing that your file said that you weren't married, if must be difficult for you to raise your daughter alone." Possibly the male's intentions were already going just beyond the level of professionalism, but given the sheer attraction of the blonde, it couldn't entirely be blamed.

Tamsin had neglected to think about a back story to her life, so she just went with the flow of words that were storming her brain. "The love was one sided, my partner's interests laid elsewhere, so because of that, I've grown much closer to Kenzi. Sometimes relationships last, sometimes they don't, it's a fact of life."

"It seems as though your partner must have taken a lot for granted."

"It's alright, they were just chasing what made them happy. That's what everyone wants in life I guess."

"Kenzi is a lucky girl to have you."

The valkyrie didn't give a verbal reply, she gave a mere smile of gratitude and kept walking. Occasionally the odd student or two who give a flirtatious whistle in her direction - much like the thief had done earlier in the house. Being here, like this, threw her out of her zone of comfort, she yearned for the moments where she could drink with Dyson, insult Lauren or tease Bo. The station and The Dal had become a safe haven to her. High school was just dull. It lacked adventure. Kids were brutal to each other this day in age and she didn't even like the thought of Kenzi having to endure time on her own. What if she was bullied? Tamsin was a woman of low tolerance, she would risk this entire mission and probably get herself fired it the girl was even so much as criticized the wrong way.

"Here we are." Once they had came to the end of the corridor, the head master waited outside of the door. "This is your first day, so you should take things easy for yourself. If you need anything, just give me a call." As before, he held his hand out to shake hers whilst wearing the same charming smile.

Tamsin once again found that she was in the position of shaking the man's hand, as a gesture of decency. She wasn't looking forward to how long this day was going to be, but she forced another expression of gratitude across her lips for the time being, "thank you."

As destiny would have it, it was at the same moment that - after a hasty drive all night long - the succubus had eventually reached the campus grounds. She'd gotten the information out of Dyson within a few minutes, which wasn't hard given how gentle in heart she was. All Bo knew was that the two females were going undercover in this school - the mission was far too dangerous, hence why she had rushed after them as if there was no tomorrow. Her steps led her straight beyond the front doors, her inquisitive eyes scanning down both sides of the corridor. There were mobs of students around, gossiping amongst themselves, but she ignored them and pressed along. _'Come on Tamsin, where are you?'_ She kept asking herself, over and over. Everytime she saw a girl with blonde hair, she would get her hopes up, but then they would just shoot down in flames when she realized that it hadn't been the person she wanted. She brushed through some of the crowds, needing to find the valkyrie. A history teacher was her cover, wasn't it? So that shouldn't be difficult to find. The brunette kept reading the small golden plaques on each of the doors. So far she had passed by literary studies and geography.

When she began to dread the idea that she may have been wandering in the wrong direction, she finally found the woman she was looking for at the end of the passageway. Bo's heart suddenly sprung to life in her chest, but then it died down again when she saw that Tamsin was shaking some man's hand - both of them exchanging warm smiles to one another. She found that she wanted to say something, even if it was just a general greeting, but her words got stuck somewhere in her throat. The blonde's appearance as a teacher was so ravishing that it inspired her libido to rise levels higher, even to the point that she could feel her eyes threatening to haze over in their usual color of blue. But the only thing nullifying said reaction was the fact that one of the staff members was acting overly friendly. She could sense his aura from here and it was definitely rising.

The valkyrie's however... that was unreadable. She masked it too well. Come to think of it, the detective hid everything perfectly; her aura, her emotions, her level of power. She was a true artist when it came to being an enigma.

As Bo built up the courage to take another step forward, the school bell suddenly rang off which caused the crowds of students to disperse in different directions. Her sights lingered on the blonde, seeing that she had bid a farewell to the other man before entering the classroom.

_'Great, she didn't even see me.'_ The succubus scolded herself for having shown up so late, as luck would have it she was probably going to have to wait the entire day until she could speak with the detective, or Kenzi for that matter. She only felt her envy surface higher to see that the male had so obviously been ogling Tamsin from behind when she had left for the room. "That son of a bitch."

Jealousy was a funny thing, wasn't it?

Before now she hadn't realized how over protective she had become toward the valkyrie, but seeing that someone had taken a less than innocent interest in her so quickly was enough to make Bo's head feel as though it was going to explode. It occurred to her that she was now going to be the one to try and win her over.

The game was most definitely on.

* * *

Guys, I apologize if that chapter was all over the place, I like trying to be realistic, hence why I ramble wayyyy too much. But I _lurve _writing Kenzi/Tamsin for you all. The two of them go from sweet to tormenting in a heartbeat, ah, those crazy kids, chasing each other around the town. I'd love a chase from Tamsin. xD

And now our dearest succubus is finally getting in the zone, wanting to win Tammy over. How is she going to do it? Will she storm into the classroom after hours and launch herself at the valkyrie? Or will she be even _more_ creative? I have several ideas but I can't decide which one seems most fitting - and I don't want to give any spoilers either! Ugh, the frustration of choices! c';

(Le Reviews! xD )

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Agreed! I think the drama is only going to increase if Bo and Tamsin run into one another during this case. But she's definitely on the road to feeling envy so far. ;D

_Khrat9_ - Kenzi to the rescue! As always! If there is one person who will be brutally honest with her (other than Tammy, to an extent) then it's our favorite little sidekick! I think that Tamsin might be colder around the edges to Bo than she usually is, purely as a defense mechanism. Although the timing is going to be cruel now that the succubus is actually trying to win her over. xD  
It's interesting because it's so easy to try and see Bo being in the 'wrong', but is she really? Honestly, she is just a confused woman who is in love with two very different people. Whilst she willingly let Lauren into her heart, Tamsin seemed to just break in unexpectedly and it has shaken her entire world up.  
Given her history, she is hardly just going to 'drop' Lauren, which I'm sure many people are hoping for - but at the same time, she can't afford to let Tamsin go. Personally, I'd hate to be in that position myself. But you're right, Tamsin's instinct to survive is going to kick in, which means that she will protect her heart above everything else.  
I enjoyed the Sherlock/Watson reference, it has to be said. ;D  
But even more than that, I really like your definition of what a hero should be, and I couldn't possibly agree more. Everything you've just said, to me, is a perfect way to describe it, so kudos to you for that! I tip my hat! And I love hearing your opinion, so please, always feel free to write as much as you want because it makes me happy to reply to it all! x x x

_Dark Lord Daishi _ - Trust Kenzi to tell everything as it is, eh? ;D  
With Bo now coming into the picture, the mission is either going to get much easier, or much harder... time will tell my friend, time will tell. x]

_TheJojo99_ - I love the fact that you have an open mind toward the struggles that Bo has to go through with, because you're spot on. Whilst we all want to see her with Tamsin, it's not like she can just cut Lauren out of her heart - she's not a cold enough person to ever do that. I'd hate to have such a tough choice, but I think now she is realizing how much the valkyrie has been there for her; thanks to the input of our dear friend Kenzi. ;D  
Believe me, I can see Kenzi trying to work her magic to set the two of them up together - it'll be like The Parent Trap! x]  
Wow, you're traveling around Japan? That sounds AMAZING! I hope you're enjoying yourself, what is it like?  
And thank you, I love giving you as many quick updates as I can! :'D  
It's always a pleasure and I always look forward to hearing from you.

_loveisaspainfulasdeath_ - Why hello there! Thank you so much, I love you for loving my story! x]  
And I understand how you feel, right now I suppose it seems as though Bo is being quite insensitive to everything, but I think a lot of that is due to her own confusion. After so many attempts to make things right with Lauren, she is finally in a solid place - but then Tamsin came into her life, and into her heart, which has thrown her whole world into chaos. I'm going to enjoy making Bo 'redeem' herself in Tamsin's eyes. She'll prove herself in the end, I'm sure.  
Between you and me, I'm sure that she has always loved Tamsin, but I just think she was hiding with Lauren because she was afraid of giving herself over to someone else. Her track record with relationships hasn't been the brightest. But I agree, Kenzi is all for team Valkubus, and she seems to be growing really fond of Tamsin, I've enjoyed touching on their friendship. :'D

_Guest(s)_ - I know, right? Kenzi = the ultimate Valkubus shipper! x]  
She will stop at nothing to get the two of them together!

_Harukais_ - Thank you! I'm glad that you like the Tamsin/Kenzi friendship, it's always a blessing to be able to write about it for you! c':


	12. Rectifying The Past

"Look at all of the damage you have done, in time.

You can see what a savage I've become, in my eyes.

If you look in my heart, you will find

no love, no light, no end inside."

- Miracle, _Hurts_

* * *

As far as long days went - this one ranked as the worst. Tamsin felt physically unable to drone on and on about historical facts. She didn't even know how she had survived the entire morning - and somehow - existed on into the afternoon. No doubt she had struck a new record, seeing as how she had sent a good seven or eight students to detention, undermined all of the class clowns and discreetly called a lot of the popular girls 'sluts'. During some of the periods she had given an air of intimidation, becoming the teacher that no one dared speak out against, but those were some of the younger students. Right now, she was left dealing with the oldest grade in the building. Oh, joy of all joys.

"Alright then, to start with, my name is Mrs Valentine." Tamsin had repeated the same introductory line for the dozenth time today, crossing her arms behind her back and standing upright, soldier-like as always. "You will refer to me as such. I don't want any of this 'Miss' crap. Ma'am is more appropriate. As you know, I'm going to be teaching you the art of history." She began to explain, pacing back and forth. Her brows were furrowed as she watched the ground. "I don't tolerate malarkey or pig-headedness. If you work hard and show discipline then we'll get along swimmingly. But if, for some suicidal reason, you step out of line, then believe me when I say that you will think of hell as a peaceful reverie by the time that I'm done with you. Any questions?"

The dead silence caused her to look up with a pleased smirk, "perfect," she commented and loosened her stance as she turned around to the board behind her, "now, we're going to move past the mundane nonsense and delve into something of greater importance." None of the students even dared to breathe too loudly as she lifted up the piece of chalk and began to scribble down some letters. "Now, how many of you know what a succubus is?"

Was it really a shock to discover that she had to speak about the brunette's species to get her through the last hurdle of the day? She wouldn't ever be able to shove the woman from her mind, no matter how hard she tried. By doing this, she could satisfy her need to let Bo flow through her thoughts and voice, without actually hurting herself over it. She gave a glance over her shoulder, astonished to see there was no raise of any hands. Either the teenagers were too scared to speak out, or they just didn't know the correct definition for the term. Well, they were in for a treat, because the valkyrie could go on for hours about this subject. "No one? Fair enough. In folklore, a succubus is shown to be a female demon, typically beautiful, who seduces humans by taking the form of a woman." She concluded as she turned her attention to the class, scanning a few of the faces briefly. Kenzi wasn't here which made her mind race to so many bad conclusions. By now she assumed that the girl would be snooping around for information, she just hoped that she was being careful about it. "So, I want a show of hands this time, tell me, how many of you think that a succubus is malevolent?"

Unsurprisingly, she could see that the majority, if not all, of the teenagers had agreed to the spoken point.

"_Wrong._" Tamsin corrected as she placed the piece of chalk down onto the table. "The life of succubi is tragic, living with a curse of possibly killing every lover she wants. It must be a painful road to walk, especially alone." Her lesson was probably becoming more intricate than needed. "I want you all to start jotting down how you think a succubus could overcome such an imprecation. Is it a simple case of finding another of her kind? An incubus? Or is it a complex search for someone who is strong enough to offer their life for love and still live to see the next day? I want theories, I want disputes."

_'I want Bo'_, she told herself.

* * *

On Kenzi's side of the mission so far, she had survived through the battlefield which was 'high school'. Several people had taunted her over her dark sense of fashion but she had flawlessly ignored it. Spending time away from the valkyrie had been a real buzz kill also, because it must have been a real treat to be in her classroom. Those poor students. The Russian girl should have been attending technical studies, but she managed to excuse herself by making some false claim to a headache. Of course it was a lie, but she needed the chance to explore the school grounds. For the past seven minutes she had been navigating through the empty corridors, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing so far at least. She passed by the reception office, seeing that it was empty inside - maybe the women who were stationed to work there had taken a break down to the canteen. "Jackpot."

She made her way to the door and turned the handle, although it was just another unwanted delay to find that it was locked. The girl's facial expression contorted into one of pure frustration as she rolled her eyes to stare at the roof above. Why did nothing ever come easy? It was an unanswered mystery to her, however, being a skilled artist at con and thievery, she had a trick or two to help her out in this instance.

Slipping her hand into her trouser pocket, she pulled out one of the durable paperclips which she had taken during one of her other classes - it wasn't as if she was actually paying attention to the general lesson after all. She straightened some of the curvings on the small metal and manipulated it into the shape closest to a lockpick before she slid it into the keyhole. Crouching slightly, she began to jolt and weave it with precision, being sure not to put too much strain onto the clip in fear that it would snap. Fortunately, the locking mechanism on this door was child's play compared to what she had dealt with before, so it took very minimal attempts until she heard the 'click' to signify that it had been opened. Smirking to herself, she soon stood upright, giving a sidewards glance down either end of the corridor to make sure that no one was watching her. The coast appeared to be clear so far, therefore, she made her way into the office as quietly and quickly as she could. In ten minutes school would be finished, so she relied on crafty work to get this done.

The office was standard inside; computers, wooden desks, a coffee machine. Although it was the metal filing cabinets at the back that had caught her eye and so she approached them. If she could at least retrieve the files on the deceased students then maybe a link could be found as to why they were targeted by this Fae. Kenzi pulled the first drawer open, scanning down the list of folders. Names were listed alphabetically, so that wouldn't do. Her nose wrinkled in distaste so she moved down to the second drawer instead and hauled it out. Again, the binders were listed, yet, it was less about categorizing the students and more about generality. "Accidents and emergencies? _Bingo._" The girl pried out the folder and flipped through some of the pages. Lo and behold, all of the latest entries detailed the deaths and information on the deceased students. She couldn't afford to spend time reading through it all here, for two reasons. One, the chances of someone walking in were incredibly high. And secondly, it was too boring so she planned on letting the valkyrie work through it instead. Kenzi pushed the metal drawer shut and slipped the folder into her bag - well, not hers as such, she had conveniently stolen it from the lost and found department. Go figure. Once a thief, always a thief. Now that she had some progress, she walked out of the office, keeping care to her actions as she closed the door. Afterwards, she proceeded down the hallway, maintaining a calm composure. Things were awfully easy for the next minute or so as she passed by a few of the classrooms and even the office to the guidance counselor, but then, from the corner of her eye, she could sense that something was amiss when she had walked by the utility room at the farthest end of the corridor. The door was slightly ajar; a drop of crimson falling from the handle and hitting the floor.

This happened to be one of those moments in life that Kenzi hated stumbling upon, but she didn't feel as though she should just ignore it either. "Shit, why do I always have to find the trouble first?" She mumbled lightly to herself as she attempted to get her breathing back to a normal rate, because to be frank, her heart was palpitating to an extreme rate. She ventured closer, taking each step with absolute caution and once the door was in reach of her, she lifted a trembling hand to the wood and gave it a nudge open - expecting the worst.

Disappointment was never far behind because the next thing she saw was a brutally mangled corpse with a gaping and raw hole torn into the chest. The stench and sight of the blood was so nauseating that she clasped a hand across her mouth to prevent her reflex to gag from getting the better of her. _'Crap - balls! Shit, what do I do? What do I do!?'_, she was screaming in her own mind, unable to grasp the calmness which she once held, moments ago. The simple sound of the wind blowing harsher against the glass pane of the window caused her to flinch violently. And in that same second she also turned and ran as fast as she could down the hallway; her steps being loud and sharp enough that she was sure she heard the guidance counselor opening the door, giving some warning about no running in the corridor. It was blank to the girl's tormented mind though, she only had one place in mind to turn to - Tamsin.

* * *

The valkyrie had been stuck in the same classroom for the most part of the day, which was more boring than anyone would know. She knew a lot of history, so if anything, she had been able to humor herself over some of the misinterpreted facts during several wars and feuds. Most of the text books weren't even a valuable source, where she was concerned. The lecture she had given on the subject of succubus had taken over her brain, she had gone on and on non-stop. Her arms were folded neatly against her back as she paced around the room, content with the way that no one was stepping out of line. In fact, they all appeared to be getting on with the work she had set them - albeit one boy who was sat at the back, trying to pass a note to the girl next to him. Well, Tamsin couldn't resist _this_ opportunity so she walked forward, a faint smirk settling across her lips as she managed to snatch a hold of the paper before it was given across to the intended person. "Handing notes during a lesson? How predictable. Lets hope that you have at least written something decent, kid." She remarked cockily, appearing to have caught the attention from all other students. The poor boy next to her was a humiliating mess as he glared down at the wooden table.

A decent person may have just scrapped the note and threw it in the trash can, but the blonde didn't have the kindness to do that. No, she unfolded the paper and scanned her eyes across the words, her lips pursing. "Hey, Jessica, wanna hook-up after hours? I know of a great make out spot near the lake." Trust Tamsin to go right ahead and read out what had been written, she then raised a brow and glanced down to the blushing girl that was at the desk opposite. "Well, Jessica, care to respond? It was such an eloquent invitation after all. I'm dying to hear what your answer is going to be, really, the suspense is killing me." Perhaps she was gaining too much entertainment from the situation she had discovered, tormenting people was her forte and this was a chance she couldn't pass. Although, the two were probably granted mercy when she heard one of the other boys making a smug remark at the back of the room.

Great, now her attention was distributing elsewhere. She left the two crushing teens to their own embarrassment and paced forward, now narrowing her eyes at the male who was so obviously a wise ass, "I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that?"

"Oh, I just said that you could be my Valentine any day." The boy remarked, far too cocky for his own good.

"Congratulations - you've just earned yourself detention. And I hate to break it to you, but I'm way out of you league kid. In fact, the best option you have for a 'good' time would rely on you spending all of your pocket money in the nearest brothel. Because believe me when I say no one would willingly entertain you." Apparently, Tamsin had just proven herself to be way too competitive, even to a younger group. She always had to win, and the silence around and lack of any comebacks had earned her victory. "Now, if you're all quite finished wasting-"

On instinct, she cut her sentence short when she heard the door to the room swing open. Her sights shot straight across her shoulder and as she saw Kenzi, she was first flooded with relief. But that was quickly overridden with concern due to how freaked out the girl looked. She didn't even get the chance to speak before she found that her friend had grabbed a hold of her by the wrist and was tugging her to the side of the room.

"Blondie, there is... in the storage room, I mean, body. _Dead body_." Kenzi wasn't making much sense with what she was saying, but her last two words sparked the valkyrie's mind into acknowledgement.

"Show me." Tamsin's eyes were intense, her face making her look as though she was focused and ready for war. She didn't take much interest in anything else as she started to follow the other girl out of the classroom, but upon doing so, she did click onto the fact that she had a bunch of students staring in puzzlement and confusion as to what was going on. "You're all dismissed, take an early leave."

To her surprise she could hear a lot of positivity and enthusiasm coming from the teenagers since they were being permitted to leave this educational prison so early.

That became the last concern on her mind when she followed after Kenzi's lead along the hallway as strongly as walking in these damnable heels would allow, "are you hurt? What happened?

"No, no, I'm cool, kinda creeped out, but cool. I was just passing by and I saw blood on one of the door handles. After I pushed it open I saw some guy with all of his insides...on the outside." Kenzi was speaking so rapidly that it was obvious as to how she was panicking, once again, maybe out of a feel of security she stretched her hand back and took a hold of the blonde's wrist.

It was easily noted by the valkyrie, so she acted instantly, "let me go first," she insisted and sped up her pace so that she had overtook the Russian. She knew how unsettling fear could be, so she wanted to make this less torturous for the younger female. She would act as a shield just in case anything got out of hand. Her expression was discontent and yet cautious at the same time as she rounded the corridor. The door to the storage room was open wide, although she had been beaten to the punch with the fact that a few of the other teachers were gathered around, all gasping and panicking as they crowded around said fresh corpse. _'Damn it, this crowd is a pain in the ass',_ a private investigation would have been preferred, but she didn't stop in her tracks, she strayed close enough so that she could get a better look at the boy's body.

"What happened?" She forced her voice to sound paranoid, although she was counting just exactly how many people were at the scene. The head teacher, the counselor, the school nurse, one of the receptionists. Four suspects? Or four innocents? It was going to be hard to work out.

"There has been a murder within the school," as leader of the building, the male from before - John - had been the first to speak out.

"My daughter saw the body, she ran to me as quickly as she could," the blonde replied as she kept Kenzi as close to her as she could.

The guidance counselor shook her head, sighing heavily, "I was wondering why she was running so fast along the hallway, the poor thing."

Kenzi's nose scrunched when she was referred to as a 'poor thing', it made her feel as though she was about five years old. She kept her fingers wrapped firmly around Tamsin's wrist, preferring to keep next to her for reasons of protection.

"We've called the hospital and the police, they'll be here immediately, you should all go home. Staying around here won't do you any good." The head teacher announced, sympathetically as he looked amongst some of the other staff members.

Tamsin gave a mental curse over the fact that the law had been called, it meant that she was going to get no time whatsoever to examine the body for clues. She inhaled slowly and then took a step to the side, giving the younger female a discreet pull along, "this isn't convenient. The body is going to be taken to the morgue no doubt," she uttered through a small voice of bother.

"Dude, who cares where the body goes - the kid was shredded during school hours, doesn't that scream 'psycho Fae on the loose'!?" The girl's main focus was on probably the more important fact that, yes, a death had gone on during active hours of fading daylight, "what if our killer is one of the staff? Or one of the students? Shit, do you know how many people I've probably pissed off today!? I could be next-"

"Kenzi, you're not going to die. I would never let that happen." Tamsin intervened and rested her hands against the younger female's arms, she couldn't exactly wear a smile of confidence, but her eyebrows were knitted in that serious way of hers. The expression she pulled whenever she was both giving sincere reassurance and making a promise. "This was a planned attack."

"Planned? What the hell do you mean _'planned'_?"

"Think about it, school is almost finished. Parents will be waiting outside to pick up their kids. The Fae is intelligent enough to make a kill when there are dozens of people to suspect."

"So... it could be a parent who has done this?"

"The timing is coincidental like that. I can be certain though. A parent, a student, a teacher. We've got too many variables to consider right now."

Kenzi beat down a small lump in her throat as she glanced from the utility closet and then to the valkyrie again, "I might have something that can help. I broke into the reception earlier and stole the files on the dead students."

The detective's eyes blinked in a small act of surprise with what she had heard, "impressive," she complimented, finally starting to grin, "I guess it's true what they say, little thieves are hanged but great ones escape."

"You think I'm a great thief? Did the teacher from hell actually just give me a compliment?"

"Don't be a smart ass about it," Tamsin's eyes threatened to give a small roll, "look I've got an idea. I want you to go home and see if you can piece anything together from those files. I'm going to stay here for a couple of hours and see if I can figure out how the boy was dragged into the closet."

"But it's getting pretty dark outside, are you sure you wanna stay here by yourself?"

"Absolutely, I'm not a wimp like you Kenzi, I can handle myself," the valkyrie's smirk was finally back to it's usual broadness as she pulled out the house keys from her pocket and passed them across to the younger girl.

"Ouch, this is the thanks I get for being an awesome undercover sidekick? Let me amend my earlier words, teacher from hell AND mother from hell." The thief was always willing to give out as good as she got. She twirled the keychain around her index finger while she sported a grin of mischief. Somehow talking the the blonde had distracted her mind from it's former state of terror.

"Thanks sweetheart, consider yourself grounded." Tamsin batted back as smugly as ever. She gave a firm pat to Kenzi's shoulder just as the school bell had sounded, meaning nothing more than the fact that the first day for them had come to an end. "You should get going, I won't be long. I left my wallet back at the house, so if you need to use it to buy yourself some food then go ahead."

"Did I say mother from hell? I so meant mother from heaven!" It was amazing how the mention of food could change the female's attitude in a heartbeat. She didn't like the idea of having to abandon the valkyrie, but she knew better than to argue, "take care of yourself, wonder woman, I don't want to have to come back here to save your ass, alright?"

"Alright, I'll spare you the trouble, I promise." The detective could only observe as Kenzi started to walk backwards, but considering that there were a mob of students moving in every direction, it wasn't long until she had vanished somewhere in the crowd. Still, that didn't change the fact that the valkyrie watched through stern eyes, and she didn't glance away until she had caught the slightest glimpse of the thief exiting the building from the doors at the top.

As much as Tamsin wanted to investigate the crime scene, there were far too many people around and she doubted that she could even get herself clearance, she was a 'teacher' after all. Her only option was to return to her classroom and wait everything out until the building was completely empty, maybe then she would be able to inspect the school and every restricted office to her own leisure. She made her way back down the hallway, brushing by most of the teenagers that were scattered around in her path. When she entered her room again, she raised an unamused brow to find that the jock she had sentenced to detention had actually stuck around. "How lame, if I were you then I'd have taken the chance to leave when the bell rang. Brainless as well as sleazy huh? Your parents must be awfully proud."

Her words were probably on the sore side, but that was mainly because she was agitated due to the fact that the Fae had made an attack when there were so many people in the building, it was such a risky tactic. Questions and theories were flooding her head as she sat down by the desk. As for the rude teenager that she had as a form of company, she couldn't admit that she was looking forward to it, but she figured that she only had to keep him around for the next hour or so, just to make a point that he was an idiot for his earlier remark.

She had very little excitement for the remainder of the evening, unless she could have a run-in with this heart eating enemy.

That was where her hopes resided.

* * *

As the clock continuously struck and the daylight outside became dim and distant, the so-called hour that Tamsin had aimed for was interrupted due to the classroom door opening. At least half an hour must have been endured so far, but the silence was soon aired away when the head teacher had walked in. He must have been the only other person in the building, other than herself and the student - whom had been writing lines non-stop. "I just thought I would drop in to let you know that I'm going to head home now. I'd recommend that you do the same but we have an officer in the building who needs to ask you a few questions, seeing as how your daughter found the body." John made a formal statement, but through a friendly voice as always. It was hard to tell whether his kindness was genuine or if it was simply an ulterior motive to get him somewhere else.

Either way, the valkyrie's eyebrow had arched, "I hope these questions won't take long, but go ahead, send the cop in." She gestured by giving her hand a small wave, the last thing she wanted was for the law to steal more time from her, but she assumed that something like this may have happened - hence why she didn't appear to be taken aback by it. Her eyes lowered back down to look at the table, or rather, the paper that she had been scribbling meaninglessly on. The pencil in her hand was tapping lightly as she heard the sound of the male leaning out to signal that the relevant officer had consent to carry out the standard investigation.

The blonde's eyes narrowed - out of an unconscious habit - when she heard both set of steps returning to the room. Even when she knew that it was no longer just herself and the ill-mannered teenager, she didn't quite contain the common manners to look up quite yet. Her life was filled with more important problems than answering typical human questions. By all rights, she had more authority than the law with this case, but she was unable to voice that to the rest of the world, otherwise it would just bring about a catastrophe.

"Mrs Valentine, I presume?"

_That_ voice caused the pencil in Tamsin's hand to snap; one half flying somewhere across the classroom. She reeled her focus straight over to the door and the organ in her chest felt like it had just imploded. Her eyes were wider now as she viewed the owner of the question.

A woman, in the typical navy blue officer's uniform, one hand resting casually on the gun holstered by the leather belt, dark hair hung down perfectly straight, the shirt's first and second button undone. A tie loosely around the collar... and a set of aviator sunglasses to top it all off.

The succubus didn't throw surprises, she hurled them.

Bo was the last person that Tamsin expected to see within this town, and at the brunette's current appearance, her throat had run dry. Her sights couldn't possibly move elsewhere, because in those three seconds she had already mentally undressed her with her eyes. She disliked how the woman was eternally attractive no matter what she wore. But this suggestive cop get-up that she had on was something that could so easily appeal to the blonde's no-nonsense nature. "The one and only." She commanded her own words to pass from her lips, refusing to even blink.

"I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind," Bo removed the pair of shades from across her eyes, so that she could look at the valkyrie through a better gaze. Feigning to be an officer of the law was the only way she figured she could stay in the same room without the detective trying to give her the cold brush off.

"Fine," Tamsin came close to snapping, but she held herself back and resorted to sighing instead, "fine." Casting a look of annoyance across to the student, she tipped her head indicating that he could leave. And he sprung from the seat with a lot of motivation and made his way straight to the door, but not before letting his smug gaze roam her body up and down.

The succubus had taken notice to the look and it only boiled her envy, while the boy passed her she grabbed his arm, less than gently, "don't push your luck," she mumbled quietly and then let the student exit from the room. When it was only herself, the head teacher and the valkyrie left, she waited around with a growing impatience.

"Well," the remaining male commented, "I'll leave you both to it," he spoke gently, averting his sights to Tamsin, "this must be a taxing first day for you, but I'm here for you if you need anything. Don't hesitate to give me a call." At the end of his offer he paid one more smile before he too departed into the hallway, being sure to close the door behind.

"Super." The succubus remarked bitterly, disliking the way that the man was acting way too nice around the blonde.

Now that it was just the two women left in the room, the usual tension had returned to the atmosphere in less than a millisecond.

Tamsin had fire dancing in her eyes as she jolted up from the wooden seat, "why in the world are you here, succubitch? I'm pretty sure that I didn't invite _you_ along."

The icy reception was easy to have expected, so Bo huffed out slowly, her mannerisms still holding a losing touch to them. "Well, you blew me off in the station and I still think that we need to talk."

"Oh, do you? How silly of me, why don't you just pull up a chair and then we can have a right old chat about this like adults!" Evidently, the valkyrie's temper was rising and she didn't know why. If anything, her strongest guess would be that it was due to old wounds being torn straight open.

"You're still angry at me, I can tell." The succubus deflected back with a rare turn of sarcasm. She loosened her stance and took a step or two closer.

"Ohhh, now there's that butter-knife sharp wit of yours that keeps you in such high demand with the doctor."

"Can you be decent and let me explain myself? I came here because I wanted to apologize to you, for what happened with Lauren." Bo sounded honest enough, but she knew that it was going to take a lot of work to breach beyond the blonde's walls this time.

Tamsin had given an abrupt laugh of disbelief, throwing her hands up into the air, "great, well that just makes everything better," afterwards, she ran her fingers through her blonde locks and shook her head, "save it, I already know that you and the doc are on a hiatus. So, you're only here right now because you want some comfort."

"I'm not, I know it might seem that way given my track record, but I came here for you." Bo closed more of the distance, wearing a small frown, it was when she was standing directly opposite the valkyrie that she was fully reminded of how striking her beauty was.

"I didn't ask you to, really, it's a wasted journey." The blonde planned on making an attempt to walk on by, but the succubus had extended her right arm out to act as a barricade to stop her from passing.

"Would it make a difference if I told you that I chose to race after you instead of trying to talk to Lauren?"

"It just proves that you are a sad and confused girl." Tamsin's voice was deadpan as she pushed the brunette's outstretched limb out of her path, she continued to walk again. "_Pathetic._"

Bo swallowed hard on the full-front rejection that she was receiving, but, this was her own doing so she planned on fixing it as best as she could. "I've hurt you, I understand that, but don't do this..."

"Do what?" The valkyrie grumbled irritably as she made a closer move to the door.

"Don't shut yourself away from the world; from me."

Tamsin's anger was seething to an even worse level than before. She stopped dead in her steps and spun around, glaring furiously at the succubus. "I'll do whatever the hell I want! Open your eyes, can't you see that I don't care? I'm just some convenient toy for you to play around with."

The brunette was shaking her head defiantly, "no, you're not!"

"Bullshit, you said that I was a feed. Imagine my humiliation to find that I was outclassed by a human, that no matter how hard I tried I would never be able to close the gap - a valkyrie beaten by a lowly doctor!" Okay, so perhaps the blonde was venting out all of her emotion at once this time around. She really felt as though she wanted to kill something; anything.

If Bo wasn't absolutely certain that the female did care for her on some level then she would be fearing for her life right about now, "I didn't want to hurt you! You're so dysfunctional that it's hard to know whether you feel anything at all! If you could just talk to me instead of running away all the time-"

"I hate talking, it's useless. _YOU_ are the problem! You're ruining me!" Tamsin's chest was heaving as she glared at the brunette, the two of them were equally as charged at the moment. Hers was out of rage and from what she could tell, Bo was acting from solid perseverance. "I was the perfect warrior, I didn't have to think twice about my actions, I lived by more own rules...uninhibited by these foolish emotions! But then you came along and you ripped out everything that I used to be; I have nothing left!"

"You have _me_, Tamsin. I'm here right now, I'm not going anywhere. Not this time, you just need to open up." Bo took a step forward, but she was shocked to see how rapidly the valkyrie had jolted back in response. She was trying to protect herself inside - which was expected. Her heart must have been under so much fire lately.

"Screw that idea, I just want to return to the way I was before, I should be beating you into the ground right now, but you've taken all of that fun away from me. You just keep taking **everything.** Kenzi should get some tips from you on how to steal."

The constant verbal jabs forced the succubus to growl, she had been polite about this but she gave up in the end and marched across to the blonde. Grabbing her by the shoulders, she shoved her up against the wall, pressing their bodies firmly together so that it would act as a tougher form of restraint. "Listen, you're not the only one with a shattered life. Do you have any idea how much damage you have caused to my world? I used to be happy with Lauren until you confused the issue. Now I can't survive a single day without thinking about you."

Tamsin wanted to struggle and fight to free herself from the trapped hold that she was in, but she foolishly found herself hearing what the brunette had to say. "Perfect, so we've finally established that we live to destroy each other - now will you let me go?"

"Not until I've convinced you of how sorry I am," Bo felt that the valkyrie was going to try and push her away so she grappled her wrists and pinned them tightly to the wall, "just tell me what I can do to fix this."

"Hm, how about you take a dagger and jam it into my heart, put the blasted thing out of it's misery."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated." The succubus leaned forward, drawing her lips next to the blonde's ear, "I don't want to murder your heart, I want to save it," she was murmuring in a softer voice now, "I want _you,_ Tamsin."

The words slithered straight into the valkyrie's soul like the sweetest poison in all of creation. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting to keep herself in control, "always wanting what you can't have, huh? How sad."

"Who says that I can't have you?" Bo grazed her warm mouth by Tamsin's neck, feeling the way that the woman's body was squirming in a guilty delight. "It just so happens that I have you right now, teacher. And I don't think I can abide by someone else touching you like this." During her remark, she had loosened her hands, trailing her fingertips along the valkyrie's arms and then down by her sides.

The detective's teeth were gritting as she willed herself to stay in absolute command of her own desires. She wasn't used to Bo being so forceful before, it was infuriatingly arousing. "So, you dress up as a cop and suddenly you think you can take control?"

"Well, I am a force of law, and you deserve to be frisked, thoroughly." The brunette began to scatter light kisses up the side of Tamsin's throat, directly to her jawline. The valkyrie was using immense willpower to keep calm, she knew that much, but it didn't deter her efforts one iota. She was trying to gauge the other woman's aura, although she was hiding it too well at the moment. "I saw the way you looked at me when I entered the room, you made me feel naked."

_'I really hate it when she pays attention like that'_, Tamsin was cursing to herself again, trying desperately to back up further into the wall to escape the beautiful torture of Bo's wandering lips. She knew that she should just push her back, but she physically couldn't bring herself to do so. Her hands were now resting against the succubus' shoulders, holding onto her hopelessly.

"Do I annoy you Tamsin?" Bo's questions were a light purr as she began to kiss her way along the female's jaw, taking as long as she desired.

"Yes." The blonde growled, angrily.

"And do I frustrate you?"

"More than anyone else on this planet."

"With that in mind, can I kiss you, right now? With a voluptuous force?"

God, Bo had a way with these mind games of hers, the valkyrie was now focusing intently on the succubus' mouth, both hoping and dreading the message behind her request. If Tamsin got sucked into this then she was history. One damn kiss was usually what it took to unwind her to the same mindless slave, she would only fall hard, again. "Screw you Dennis."

A coy smile began to spread across the succubus' features because she knew exactly what the detective had meant. "I'll take it that means yes?"

"I'd have knocked you flat on your ass if it didn't." Tamsin barely got the words out before she found that the brunette had surged forward, crushing their lips together. It was wild and intoxicating, as always and she found that she could do nothing more than respond. She willingly invited the woman's demanding tongue into her mouth without even a hint of delay. It hurt to be this close, but at the same time, it was exactly what she longed for in this life. When her feelings for the succubus were involved she was always going to lose.

She tilted her head slightly, doing anything she could to further the angle so that the kiss could deepen; her lips were numb with the bruising force so far, but that made her want more. Bo's tongue was taking full siege over her mouth and fighting her own wanton muscle down into submission.

No matter how much they argued, it acted as some sort of sexual magnet for them to attack each other through brutal affections. The valkyrie let the female take advantage of her against the wall; she could feel Bo's hands sliding up her shirt, her nails scratching over her flesh, like she needed to touch her all over.

Tamsin's moans were muffled by the searing contact, and there came a certain point where she couldn't resist the urge to play back with her own want for control. Her fingernails dug in harshly to the succubus' shoulders as she started to back her up across the room. Every time they broke the kiss, not a second passed until their lips were clashing again with the same detonation of lust and pain. The valkyrie was reciprocating like a wounded soldier and Bo was initiating like a lost martyr.

The brunette grunted softly when her rear knocked into the desk, she didn't retaliate when the detective had pushed her straight down onto the wooden structure, but instead she grasped her obstinate partner's blouse and yanked her closer. Tamsin was obliging promptly, crawling onto the table whilst shoving any paperwork or stationery to the floor as though it was useless. She clambered on top of the succubus, only satisfied when she was straddling her hips.

"I've always had a thing for after hour lessons," Bo's lips were cracking into a blissful grin against the blonde's, her eyelids were heavier as she ran her hands up the blonde's legs. When reaching the hem of the skirt, she slid underneath the material so that she could caress the smooth flesh of Tamsin's strong thighs.

"What a coincidence, because there is a lot that I want to teach you," the valkyrie's tone had become raspy, her face alive with desire as she gripped a hold of the loose tie around the succubus' neck, tugging on it in order to bring the female nearer to her. Bo's hands were clasping roughly at her, keeping her in place. If the two were pulled any tighter together then they wouldn't have a millimeter of breathing space. But even so, such a fact probably didn't even matter right now. A small groan grated in the back of Tamsin's throat when she felt the succubus' clothed crotch grind up sharply into her own.

The jolt of pleasure it shot through the valkyrie was so abrupt that she lowered one hand to grab at the side of the desk, she may have been on top but Bo knew exactly what to do to get a reaction. Her pelvis was moving in dry and rhythmic ways that it made Tamsin's mind flee to cloud nine. It was like sex, with clothes, and the brunette was very good at it.

Although that didn't change the intentions that the blonde held to rip that uniform right off of her. She aimed to compose herself, but more than likely failed. The arousal that was pooling between her legs had began to ache so she tried to bring herself some alleviation by rocking her hips just as steadily into Bo's. Her body was flushing under her own clothing that she yearned to have it removed. She held onto the navy blue shirt and began to fidget with the buttons at the top, all the while, her lips were in a current and constant battle with the brunette's.

It was like some sort of kissing frenzy between them; the loser being the first one to stop.

Yet, in the midst of the fiery passion that was held inside of the classroom, the moment came to an unexpected standstill when the lights above suddenly cut out. If there was ever bad timing for a blip in the power then it had to be in the process of the two women preparing to give into pure animalism with one another.

Tamsin was aware of the problem and immediately sat up - though still remained straddling the succubus. "Great, of all the times for an intervention it has to be now." She didn't try to hide the pessimism in her voice as she glanced around, noticing that she was able to see a little, which was better than being in total darkness.

"Either that or our rampant energy just blew out the lights," Bo's jest would have sounded more amused if it wasn't for the way that the obsessive touching between herself and the blonde had come to a most unwanted pause, "is it the Fae?"

"More than likely, I was supposed to check out the building... but I got distracted." As the detective mumbled grumpily to herself, she got up from the desk and stood on her feet. If this enemy was lurking around in the school at this time then it was going to be difficult to fight it in the shadows. The only bonus that had come from the interruption was that it let her clear mind return to her, she started to reprimand herself for how quickly she had given into Bo just then. What was she thinking? She was supposed to be as mad as hell at the woman, not sucking face with her. "Stay behind me." Tamsin ordered sternly as she began to walk over to the door, she gave a single glance across her shoulder to make sure that the brunette was right next to her, and when she found that was the case she grabbed the handle and tugged slowly.

The rest of the building was enshrouded in the same darkness as she stepped into the corridor, the earlier lust may have nulled her senses, but she was regaining her usual sharpness. If the Fae had chosen to cut the power then surely it was aware that the two of them were inside of the building; the valkyrie was willing to bet that they were being watched right now. She could only see a few feet in front of her due to the darker skies shining in through the windows, so it was the only saving grace available. "Only a coward fights in utter darkness." She whispered quietly to herself as she started to walk along the hallway, taking care with each step. "Didn't you get a flashlight with that outfit?"

"If I did, don't you think I would be using it right now?" Bo answered, her voice held a dry humor as she kept close to the other female. She wasn't relaxed with the daunting atmosphere that had set around them, she expected an attack, but she just didn't know which direction it was going to come from. However, regardless of that, she wouldn't let the blonde get hurt. No, it hadn't escaped her notice that Tamsin had been required twenty-four hours of the day, the lack of rest and recovery couldn't be healthy for her. That was another reason she had chosen to race to this town as opposed to trying to earn the doctor's forgiveness, she would never let the detective handle all of the danger by herself. Kenzi was a young girl at the end of the day, so the chances of her offering vital protection weren't as high. "So, if we survive this night, will you forgive me?"

The random question caused Tamsin's nose to scrunch in a quirky style as though it was a silly thing to consider. "We'll survive, don't worry about that. But do I forgive you? Uh, I'm going to say no."

"No? Seriously? You seemed pretty forgiving two minutes ago." The succubus was mumbling in a low voice as she continued to follow the blonde along the eerie corridor. Every so often there would be a noise, such as a creak in the pipes above, or the roof, and she would scoot a little closer to the other woman.

"Two minutes ago I wasn't thinking with my brain. If I give into you, then it's only a matter of time until you abandon my ass and run back to Lauren. She's supposed to be the love of your life and all that shit, isn't she?"

"Is it impossible for you to understand that I'm not perfect? I screw up Tamsin. I screw up a lot with you, actually. I make mistakes and hurting you was one of them, I don't want you to feel insecure around me." While Bo was trying to give a redeemable explanation, she heard the sudden rush of footsteps from the edge of the corridor - the noise getting louder and louder as the distance decreased rapidly. Still, while looking ahead it was too much of a struggle to see clearly as to what was rushing at them - or who - but it didn't sound pleasant. In the darkness it just appeared like a blurry shadow. She sensed that the valkyrie was preparing to take the brunt of whatever trouble was coming their way, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't take that risk. So as soon as the succubus saw that an arm had swiped out from the shadows, aiming to strike the blonde, she rushed in the line of fire, taking the hit herself so that the detective didn't have to. The attack itself had connected into her side with enough force to knock her back into Tamsin; causing the two of them to end up stumbling to the hard floor.

The blonde was on her back, with the succubus atop her, which was a role reversal from before, but not in the best circumstance. "What the hell did you do that for, Bo? I can handle myself." Perhaps some gratitude would have been better suited, although she was still uncertain as to how she should cope with the emotions she felt for the other female.

"We need to get out of here Tamsin, we can't fight an enemy in darkness like this, it's too dangerous." The succubus groaned as she tried to pull herself back up to her feet, the pain in her side ached so much that she had to clamp her hand against the area as tightly as she could. And with her unoccupied one, she helped to pull the detective back up from the floor also.

"Are you kidding? Of course we can fight it, I don't ever run, it's a coward's tactic." Well, if anyone could pull off being stubborn in a life or death situation, leave it to the valkyrie. Sometimes her pride done the talking for her, meaning that her logic may not have been the brightest. "I'll kill it by myself if I have to, you should take a breather princess, leave the dirty work to me."

"God damn it, your pride is going to be your downfall." Bo, in no way, held any intention of them dying tonight. She relied on grabbing a powerful hold onto Tamsin's wrist and began to run down the opposite end of the hall, with no questions asked. With all the force she still possessed, she used it to haul the arrogant woman along with her, knowing that she wouldn't move otherwise. "I don't care about some obsession you have to not lose face, we'll deal with this when we're not at a disadvantage." The brunette was sure that this Fae would be toying with them, otherwise it surely would've made another attack. Man or woman, it was choosing to hide it's identity well in this circumstance. Hiding in the shadows was a stealthy game to play. She kept on with her persistent rushing until she saw the double doors up ahead.

The exit. Perfect.

Bo didn't even have the patience to grasp the handle when she came close, she resorted to giving a swift kick forward to make the doors swing open, outwardly, and then she dragged Tamsin into the cold night air with her. And even with that, she choose to keep running as though her life was dependent on it. With one hand attempting to keep pressure to the injury on her side, the other was vice-like against the valkyrie's.

The blonde was still trying to comprehend how she had been pulled away from engaging in a fight within the space of at least three minutes. A breeze from the cooler gale was a reminder of the reality that she was no longer inside the high school, but outside, being led by the hand down the street by a racing succubus. This day had really lost a lot of control over the past two hours. She counted down another thirty seconds in her head, letting that time pass so that they could run further, but when she reached the end, she came to a sudden stop. The action was so determined that the succubus nearly tripped.

"You've got some nerve to drag me away like that," Tamsin was back to giving a disapproving frown as she wrenched her hand away from the brunette's, "I can take care of myself."

The succubus was panting and rolling her eyes as she tried to fathom how big headed the other female could be. It was enough to give her a small migraine. "I done what was best for both of us. I know that you've hardly slept in the past three days, you're in no shape to fight."

"I think I'll be the judge of that." The blonde's frown was easily becoming a more disheartened scowl as she glared at the brunette. It seemed to dawn on her that Bo was gripping onto her side, warily starting to hunch over - as if the wind had been knocked out of her. "What's the matter? Don't tell me one little hit is enough to take down the world's favorite love demon?"

"Thank god you're not a poet," Bo released a small groan of discomfort as she straightened her stance, "I'm fine, I just need to catch my breath from all of the running." Her answer would have been more believable had she not staggered when stepping forward. She was spared from toppling over due to the valkyrie's lightning fast reactions.

Tamsin's hand wrapped around the woman's bicep, keeping her hoisted up on her feet, "and thank god you're not a professional liar. Let me see," she ordered, tipping her head to indicate to the succubus' left side.

"Really, I'm alright, I've had worse." The brunette was more than willing to pass her injury off as nothing, she made a move to tug her arm from the other woman's grip, but it wasn't an accomplishable task. The valkyrie's hold became firmer so she sighed deeply. "You're forgetting that I can handle myself too, this is no worse than a paper cut."

"A paper cut, hm?" Tamsin's eyebrow was arched, unconvinced, she knew that the succubus was putting up a brave face, she'd have done the exact same thing. Luckily, she had more unorthodox methods of getting herself a true answer. With her free hand, she gave a blunt, and uncalled for, jab into Bo's side.

The other woman yelped out in agony and crippled forward, intending to fall down, but she only collapsed into the blonde's waiting arms instead. "Ow, that's so not cool!" Bo complained, closing her eyes as she chose to rest her forehead on the valkyrie's shoulder. Her breathing pattern was labored and shaky, only proving that the wound was more inconvenient than she had been letting on.

"Like I care," the blonde replied insensitively, keeping one arm looped around the succubus' waist to maintain a sturdy balance between them, "now hold still or I'll give you more of the same." She waited for a stupid play of resistance, although, to her inner relief, she was met with none. Bo was more focused on resting against her, trying to recover from the sharp dose of pain she had been a recent subject to. With that considered, Tamsin slid her other hand underneath the bottom of the female's shirt, guiding her fingertips up to the tender flesh. She knew that she had reached the pained area when the brunette gave a barely audible hiss of discomfort. It must have been agony, given that she hadn't applied any real pressure, but she did rest her palm flatly against the flesh. She took a few moments to study the ragged inhales and exhales from the woman, in order to reach a conclusion as to what was wrong. The theory hit home soon enough. "It's your ribs, a couple of them are fractured."

"I know," Bo answered in a guilty voice, "I felt them crack the moment I was hit, that's why I wanted to get us out of there. If a Fae can bust up my side in one simple attack then it must have overwhelming power."

With the reasons being further explained, maybe now Tamsin could understand the motives with a less judgmental mind. The succubus had saved her from the strike, so she should have been the one suffering right now, but alas, that was not the case. She was glancing around, seeing how empty the streets were - which was useful. It gave her the opportunity for some repayment. "You look like you're in quite a bit of agony, so you should take some of my Chi. Fractured ribs can be severe."

"No," The succubus replied strictly as she pulled herself away from her resting position in the valkyrie's arms, "I'm not going to do that."

"What?" Tamsin cocked her head in confusion, threatening another frown, "don't be ridiculous, just heal yourself before things get worse."

"No." Bo repeated even more solidly than she had done the first time, she was averting her gaze to look down the desolate street.

The reluctance was driving the blonde into a state of confusion, and annoyance. She didn't know what game the other woman was trying to play at this time, but she wasn't pleased by it so far. "What do you mean _'no'_? Have you lost your mind?"

"I want to show you that you are more to me than just a 'feed', so no, I don't want to take your Chi, I'll be fine." Of all times to try and make a point of redemption, Bo had to choose a time where she was left with a critical bashing into one side of her ribcage. Fate just worked in funny ways like that, but she refused to have her mind altered. She needed to prove that she didn't want to use the valkyrie.

"You pick the worst times to play the saint, just cut the heroic crap and heal yourself. Forget about what happened." Worry was beginning to manifest within Tamsin, purely because while it was touching to know that the succubus was making amends, she really didn't want her to risk her life over it.

"I don't want to forget it, I want to fix it. Besides, a couple of bruised ribs never killed anyone." The succubus spoke about the topic with little concern as she began to walk down the street, her steps were slower though, due to the way that she wanted to avoid aggravating the injury to her side.

Tamsin's approval hit a new low; her hands clenching by her sides as she stared fiercely at the succubus' back. She stormed after her in the blink of an eye and when close enough, she grabbed a hold of the shoulder nearest to her and spun the woman back around, perhaps harsher than was required. "Bo, I swear to God, if you don't feed off of me then I will beat you down so hard that you have no choice but to-"

"Then that is what you are going to have to do," the succubus answered before the blonde had even finished, her eyes were staring into the opposing ones of pure intensity, "I'm not going to use you."

The valkyrie only grew further angered when her bluff was being called, she had few options to resort to. She delved forward and pressed her lips tightly against Bo's, trying to goad her into feeding through a kiss - after all, she didn't want to make good on the threat she had made only mere seconds ago.

But the succubus simply wouldn't go through with it, she responded to the contact, although she chose to kiss the blonde. Sucking the Chi from her hadn't even entered the equation and it didn't look as though it was going to anytime soon. Tamsin sensed that was the case, so she pressed her hand to Bo's side, pushing against the swollen ribs to forcefully coax it out of her.

Said action only resulted in eliciting a painful whine from the brunette.

_'Sorry darling, I don't want to hurt you, but you're leaving me with no choice,'_ Tamsin told herself to ease her growing guilt. The brunette's lips were moving against her own softly and while it was a pleasant feeling, she wanted to experience the uncomfortable exertion of her own life force instead. When another ten seconds of failed attempts and gentle kissing had passed, she drew back, still as frustrated as ever. "Look, I'm offering you my Chi, you're not just taking it from me so it doesn't count as using, just drop the stubborn act and fix yourself already."

"Why are you so eager to save me? Do you care?" Bo asked without any warnings, and it amused her to see the way that the valkyrie's expression suddenly dropped. She became very tense, visibly.

"Let me heal you and I'll tell you." Tamsin tried to make a bargain out of this bothersome situation.

"Tell me and I'll let you heal me." The deal was simply reversed, both of them falling into a stalemate for the time being. The blonde didn't look as though she was prepared to answer, even though the succubus knew that it was a yes, she just wanted to hear it from the woman herself. She wanted it to be real. Kenzi had somehow gotten beyond a few of Tamsin's defenses, and Bo was envious over that fact, she wished that she had the same skill. She couldn't understand why it was mission impossible for her. Was the detective honestly that scared to let her in?

The conversation was going nowhere, so Bo inched in, pressing her lips against the other female's cheek, "lets go and find Kenzi," she murmured gently against the flesh and then pulled away. Like before, she turned and started to walk.

Tamsin never meant to be so cold around the succubus, but she couldn't afford to let her emotions creep out. It was easier to be seen as a bitch and she needed to keep it that way, because she knew that Bo was intent on trying to get through to her. The same woman who had made her heart a dead place was now returning with a scheme of revival. It made the valkyrie want to drown her sorrows in the local bar; anything would be more bearable than shutting the brunette out.

Exhaling a notably distressed sigh, she began to follow behind the succubus. Rest assured, Bo may have been refusing to heal because of some need to make things right, but Tamsin could find other ways to persuade her into feeding.

Jealously. Seduction. Affection.

Several options were springing to her inventive mind. She may not have been forgiving with Bo, but that was out of a self-defense, she would never stand by and callously let the woman cope with pain.

She would _always_ care for her at the end of the day.

* * *

Well well, things are beginning to heat up! I'd have updated yesterday but I wanted to write a little more for y'all. Tamsin is acting pretty cold to Bo, I know I referenced the song Miracle by Hurts at the top, but it just encapsulates the fic right now so well!

More from Tammy's point of view methinks. [x

But my BoBo is taking things hard on herself now, because she's just tragic like that. ^^

As for the unknown Fae lurking around, it could be anyone. Who knows, who knows... And more importantly, how is Kenzi going to react when she figures out that Bo is in town? (Lets face it, she's going to be a menace and try to make Valkubus happen.)

(Reviews, because you're all so wonderful to me!)

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Indeed she is, because I don't think Tamsin's mind is going to be in a focused place now that Bo is around. She'll be distracted by her constantly.  
The succubus does not deal with jealousy all to well. x]

_TheJojo99_ - Oh, I've definitely made sure to hurl in some Valkubus for you, if only there wasn't a damn Fae interrupting then the classroom would've been one steamy place. Bo is really starting to go out of her way now to try and prove to Tamsin that she means more to her than she thinks. Ah, with love comes pain. Bo does get pretty jealous over the smallest things though, that's for sure. c':  
Oh, Mt. Fuji? That sounds neat! I've always wondered what it would be like there, so you'll have to tell me all about it! And portable wi-fi is a saving grace, no arguments there. Awh, it sounds as though you must be lost if no one really speaks English. xD  
And you're welcome for the update, it's always a pleasure!

_shannon1419_ - Dear lord, I LOVED your way of wording that, it was perfect! x'D  
But you're absolutely right, things are getting real right now!

_loveisaspainfulasdeath_ - Well, rest assured, our little Bo is beginning to try and make amends with Tamsin as best as she can. I love how you noticed that she chose to chase after the valkyrie instead of going to Lauren though, excellent observation - I tip my hat to you for that one! :'D  
It might be a challenge for her to get through Tamsin's defenses, but she is definitely going to try her heart out! Although it won't be fun now that some people around are setting their eyes on Tammy - jealousy is never fun. x]

_Javlalebb_ - Ah, I'm so glad! I pictured it in my head too and I honestly couldn't resist writing it. Tamsin just strikes me as the type that would chase after Kenzi for the simplest things. ;D  
Could you imagine how she'd react if Kenzi teased her about Bo? Oh, Tamsin would be like lightning. c':

_Guest(s)_ - Thank you! That means a lot, I'm glad that my rambling hasn't bored you at all! It only makes me wanna write more. ;D

_L . Malcolm_ - Yes, lets get wedded! You and I! Then we can devote our lives to the wonders of Valkubus! xD  
Aw, that is so amazing to hear! I'm happy to know that my fan fic has managed to help you endure a great flight. That's so cool that you've saved the chapters though, I love it and I LOVE YOU FOR DOING IT! YOU'RE AWESOME!  
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful compliments too, knowing that my work makes you happy is more than enough reason for me to continue as much as I can. To be honest, I don't ever want to stop. These Bo/Tamsin/Kenzi interactions should last forever! :'D

_Sim9542_ - What can I say? I love to provide as much as I can for you! It's an honor to know that you are enjoying what I write, so thank you on that note! c':  
Admittedly, I do always have a right ol' laugh whenever I dive into the Kenzi/Tamsin stuff, the two of them just connect so well together.  
But there will be plenty Valkubus to come in the future, I can promise you that! xD

_BSwifty1997_ - Absolutely! If you want more moments between Tamsin and Kenzi, then I'll be more than happy to write about that for yah! They are both sweet and frustrating around each other and I love writing about that as much as I can. Thank you so much though! I'm very grateful to know that you're enjoying this fic! (':

_bruubertolo_ - You and me both! ;D  
If I had Tamsin as a teacher I'd never leave school, I'd find any excuse I could to just try and stay in her company. In fact, I'd go out of my way to try and be the teacher's pet, hell, that would never be a bad thing. XD  
But yes, there is definitely more envy sparking from Bo now that she sees how many people are after her woman! (';

_Capt. S_ - You're right about that, she would certainly be too mature for a common 'high schooler', so trust her to go under cover in a way that would greatly appeal to someone like Tamsin. ;D

_keyatwin_ - Thank you so much! I promise that I won't keep you waiting too long for the next chapter! c':

_FlipChick23_ - Creative and storming it was. ;D  
Trust Bo to just walk into the school dressed as a cop, purely to get a one-on-one conversation with Tamsin. Ah, the beauty of love. c':


	13. Obstinate Attempts

"I've tried everything to get away.

So here I go again, chasing you down again.

Why do I do this?

Over and over, over and over

I fall for you."

- Over And Over, _Three Days Grace_

* * *

The walk back to the house had not been anything that could be desired; both women were stressfully silent. The valkyrie led the way, seeing as how she was more familiar with the layout of the town, but she didn't enforce a brisk pace, she couldn't afford a faster preference when she knew that the succubus was in a deteriorating shape. Even to this moment it plagued her thoughts to focus on the way that Bo kept refusing to accept a healing feed. All the reluctance being due to some self-destructive point that she had to prove about being capable of seeing the blonde as more than a snack of convenience. Tamsin wasn't certain on whether she should chalk it up to a trait to be pitied or admired. She acted as if it meant nothing to her - but that was just the same front she had learned to keep as a security blanket in her life. If she really didn't give a damn then she wouldn't attune her senses to be so sharp in case the brunette collapsed from too much exertion. Yet, she was more than prepared to act as a rescuer to Bo's needs, if ever she needed it. That was the constant curse that loomed over the detective's life like a storm cloud. As much contempt as she would like to feel for the staggering woman behind her, she knew that she would be by her side at the end of the day. It wasn't fair. No, it was an inescapable torture - but it was _her_ torture.

"Thank goodness, we're here." She gave a chant of relief when she saw the house across the street, because if she had to endure any more of this strained atmosphere then she probably would have lost her mind. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the silence, it was simply difficult to maintain concentration on anything else in the world other than the fact that the succubus was supporting painful injuries against her body. Tamsin approached the driveway, wearing a fading grin as she saw that her truck was in spiffy condition. For some reason she hadn't discounted the idea of Kenzi taking the vehicle for a spin - and possibly wrecking it - so she was pleased to see that it hadn't been touched in the slightest.

"This is the house that Dyson hired for you both? It's impressive." Bo puffed her cheeks a little, resorting to blowing out a slow exhaled afterwards as she kept behind the blonde. Her hand remained by her side throughout the duration of the journey, and even now she possessed small confidence toward removing it. The injured ribs in her body were wailing in constant agony and she couldn't lie to herself; the thought of immersing in the mindblowing taste of the valkyrie's Chi was enough to make her resolve weaker inside. It was an addiction to her and right now she felt like she was going through the typical withdrawal symptoms by not taking advantage of it. Nevertheless, she said no more as Tamsin opened the front door. She merely followed inside, refreshed by the warmer temperature indoors compared to the cooler breeze that the clear night had brought.

Tamsin listened as the door was closed behind and then she proceeded down the hallway, giving a suspicious look around the area in general, "Kenzi? Are you home? I've got a surprise for you."

Of everything she had said, the word 'surprise' must have ignited the younger girl's interest, because a sudden rush of footsteps could be heard coming directly from the living area of the house. Kenzi sped out of the room with a look of curiosity on her face, "a surprise you say?" her question drifted, much like her sights had done, alerting her of the succubus' presence, "Bo!"

The squeal of overdramatic joy caused an eyeroll of normality from the blonde. She took a step to the side in order to allow the young girl to charge past her and swarm the brunette with a much needed hug of warmth and friendship. The type of affection that made the detective want to walk into walls.

"Hey Kenz," Bo responded with a kind smile as the female lunged at her, capturing her in an embrace, "it's good to see you too. I've missed you." She soon brought her arms around her friend's waist, resting her chin upon her shoulder. The collision of the girl's body into her own had drawn a very, very, light groan from her, but she didn't let the pain overrule the company that she was now in. A reunion should never be spoiled after all.

"What're you doing here?" Kenzi's voice was a mix of confusion and enthusiasm as she gave the woman a gentle squeeze before pulling away to look her up and down. "Actually, scrub that, why are you dressed like some slutty police officer?"

The inappropriate remark had caused Tamsin to smirk in the background, she was choosing to mind her own business by looking at her feet, although Kenzi's abrupt comments hit a straight line right to her funny bone.

Noticing the reaction must have been easy, because Bo's gaze was drawn across to the amused valkyrie, causing her to utter a motherly, "real mature." Did it stun her to see that the blonde would humor herself over the thief's words? Not for a second. However, she looked back to Kenzi, aware that an explanation was still needed, "I managed to charm my way into signing up with the law in this town, but I have to say, the security in this place isn't too tight."

Finally, Tamsin found a point of genuine interest and raised a brow, "do tell."

"I counted no more than seven officers," Bo answered slowly, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to make sure that she was recalling accurate information, "thank God for a little Fae magic, otherwise I'd never have gotten in."

"Seven cops huh?" The Russian girl brought her hand up to rub the back of her neck, taking a step to the side so that she could lean against the wall, "can you blame them? If I was an officer in some freaky town where kids are having their hearts ripped out, then I'd want to get the hell out of dodge too."

With some more questionable facts coming into the case so early on, Tamsin found that she wanted to investigate this further, she crossed her arms over her chest, standing neatly.

"Do you think it's the school that is the problem? I mean, you'd think the teachers would want to close it down... but they've kept it open." The succubus took a wild guess as to which group the Fae would be categorized in, although it was a tricky thing to figure out.

Kenzi was nodding to herself as she listened along, and then, like a light bulb she perked up, "oh!"

The two older females both nearly jolted by the sudden reaction, Tamsin, for one, didn't appreciate being startled, but she left it a second or so for the girl to explain.

"Those files that I stole from the school - come here, you've gotta see this, both of you." As the thief paced back down the passageway, she made a point of grabbing a hold of Bo's hand and Tamsin's wrist, guiding them with her into the living room. You'd think that she was some excited kid who had won a science award with the way she was acting. And her mood stayed just as strong as she made her way across to the wooden table by the far end of the room, where all of the documents were spread out.

"Wow, you've done a lot of work." The succubus sounded positively impressed as she leaned over a little to look down at the paperwork. She commended the way that these two females had been handling this mission so far - it was theirs, and as an outside point of view, she could give the efforts an applause so far.

Tamsin smirked to herself as she glanced down to the files, "I'd expect nothing less, she's quite useful...sometimes."

"Hey," Kenzi rebounded in a feigned shock, "fyi, _she_ is standing right here. And of course I'm useful. Since you two lovebirds as so busy giving hopeless glances to one another, someone has to get the work done around here, sheesh."

At the lack of witty remark or rebuttal, the girl knew that she had created a scene of awkwardness and so gave a bright smile. Mentally, she had given herself about three high-fives by now. The fact of the matter was, she liked Bo and she liked Tamsin; having them both in a happy singsong relationship together would only be something for her to approve of. But they were too stubborn to go for it themselves, so she was possibly going to have to act as Cupid's bow on this one.

"If you look here," the thief moved back to her original point, guiding her index finger to an assorted file on one of the deceased, "this boy was murdered in 1802, a few years after the building was first opened. And then here," she urged her digit along to the next document, "the same thing happened in 1821, then 1847, the random pattern goes on and on right up until today."

The valkyrie's eyes were closing to the halfway point as she squinted to view over the most vital piece of information detailed at the bottom of the notes, "and the cause of death for them all was a torn out heart? Correct?"

"You betcha' blondie, one or two were typical car accidents but other than that, it's our guy that has been pulling the strings on this town, or girl...or whatever the hell it actually is."

"This Fae is pretty old then." Bo inhaled slowly, becoming uncertain of whether she could take to the way that two people she cared about were risking their lives to save the town. If either one of them got hurt over this then she wouldn't cope at all. Kenzi was her heart and Tamsin...well, she was just taking over everything, wasn't she?

"Oh, nice going, mathematician," the blonde was being unpleasantly wry. She could feel Bo's sights turning to her, but she ignored it and paid her undivided attention on the more important task. "Did you find out anything else Kenzi? These victims, was there a pattern? Or did they die by random misfortune? What about their personality, grades?"

With the gunload of questions that were being dished out, the thief raised her hands, "easy, Holmes, slow down for a second," she chuckled a little when she saw the unamused stare that the valkyrie had cast in regards to the nickname, "I'm not entirely sure which pattern I'm looking for, but apparently these kids all acted 'weird' a couple of days before they died."

"Weird...as in scared shitless weird?" Tamsin asked, and somehow she received a very gentle nudge from the succubus due to her use of the uncalled for obscenity. The woman certainly liked trying to keep her behaved, that was for sure. Not that the detective minded, it only humored her to have someone in her life who tried to make a decent person out of her.

"Not quite, they were..." Kenzi paused so that she could overlook the correct term that had been written down at the bottom of the page, "distant and out of their character, expressing small traits of an excess in...dopa-"

"Dopaminergic." Tamsin finished when she heard that the girl had struggled with the pronunciation. Suddenly she found that bother other females were staring at her as though she had spoken a foreign language. As could be predicted, it was about time for her to roll her eyes, "it's a reaction from a chemical in the brain that affects behavior. A neurotransmitter."

"And...for us who don't know what the hell that means?" The thief felt bashful for sounding so oblivious, but she couldn't put two and two together this time.

"In layman's terms, it means that our Fae has been turning the teenagers crazier in the head, somehow."

"Why would it do that?"

Tamsin's nose scrunched very quickly, "what am I? The all powerful book of knowledge? I have no idea, maybe it made them easier targets, like when a spider shoots venom into it's prey to weaken it slowly."

"Thanks for the imagery, blondie." Kenzi's expression became pale in nausea at the new thought that had been placed into her mind, so she shook her head, as if to rid herself of it as quickly as she could.

Bo continued to watch the valkyrie, both overcome with amazement and shock as to how she had began to deduct things so quickly, but then, being a detective, it must have come with the territory. "It's impressive that know know about this stuff."

An opportunity was gained for the blonde and she met the succubus' sights, sporting a smirk of pure pride, "well, you didn't think that Lauren was the only one with a sharp mind, did you?"

As per normal, a silence was about to hang in the air, Kenzi found herself staring from one woman to the next, "Tamsin is a smart cookie," she uttered in an attempt to sway the succubus into the realization of how great the valkyrie was, "and she's strong and she makes a fine teacher." When she found that the detective was giving a glare in her direction, she knew that she had earned said expression probably by the use of the word 'cookie', it more than likely made the woman appear way too soft. Before she ended up running her mouth off in more ways that were wrong, she raised a hand in thought, "on that note, I'm going to go and retrieve the other bunch of files from the bedroom."

When the youngest female had scurried past and into the hallway without the courtesy of awaiting a reply, Tamsin was watching her until she had disappeared from her vision. "She's done a good job so far." It didn't feel wrong for her to give a compliment that was well-deserved to the absent thief, this case could have been a lot more complex without her here.

"Kenzi is more valuable than the world gives her credit for," Bo was only too happy to praise her best friend, she turned around to look at some of the paperwork again, but when reaching out to take a hold of a specific folder, she felt her ribs strain and so groaned. She stopped as soon as she could, resorting to resting both of her hands flatly on the tabletop so that she could inhale heavily.

It hadn't been discreet in any way, shape, or form, thus, Tamsin had witnessed the brief moment of weakness as though she was in an open cinema. She took a single step until she was behind the succubus; her chest pressing into her back ever so slightly. "You are putting yourself through a foolish ordeal just to prove one little point." Her chin came to settle on the brunette's shoulder as she murmured her cynical comment.

All Bo could acknowledge was the way the words bounced against her neck, sending unwelcome shivers throughout her body, "it's my point to prove Tamsin, I've not been the best version of myself lately and I need to make everything right. I'm good. I _am_ good," she seemed to be convincing herself rather than the female who was resting tantalizingly at her back.

"Yes, you _are_, which is why you don't deserve to put yourself through this silly trial," the valkyrie snaked her arms around the succubus' waist, holding her snugly. If she had to play a seductive trump to get her way, then so be it, "I could take all of that pain away for you," she pushed herself in tighter to Bo, guiding her lips to the sensitive flesh behind her ear, "all of that agony, the pestering discomfort, the laboring breaths."

Was the brunette really falling under this trance of allure? Wasn't she supposed to be the one who was an ace at bewitching others? The valkyrie was full of surprises. The firmer hold around her body forced her eyes shut. Bo's temperament of desire was now flourishing with the soothing promises to slip from Tamsin's mouth. In actual fact, that was all she found herself thinking about - the woman's overpowering and beautifully forbidden lips. She could recall the soft power in them, the unsettled passion. It made her hunger start to surface. "You're very crafty," her voice took a higher note during the last syllable when she felt the way that the blonde's hand had snuck underneath her shirt, stroking tenderly against her bruised side as it had done once before.

"I know," Tamsin became vain as she whispered these sweet nothings into the succubus, her fingers were aimlessly caressing the half of the ribcage that had fallen to injury, "I'm also undefeated, indifferent, dangerous and a contrast to your precious little doctor."

"...don't forget arrogant," the succubus added through a tone of struggle as she fought to keep her sanity in tact with the way the blonde was touching her as though she was more fragile than a statue of glass.

"Arrogant I may be, but I also don't want to see you hurt like this, it makes you look weak," the detective countered masterfully as she ghosted her warm mouth closer so that she could breath into the shell of Bo's ear, "and we both know that you are strong, aren't you?"

"Mm-hmm." Through giving a taxing hum as a response, the succubus brought one of her own hands up to take a hold of the valkyrie's - that had been so expertly massaging the weaker area of her torso. She guided the woman's palm up higher, across her chest, to her left breast instead.

If Tamsin didn't possess a high level of confidence she would admit to being shocked, but this was exactly what she had hoped for. The brunette's resistance was crumbling, as shown by the new desire she had to be touched. "Now..." the valkyrie cared minimally about hiding the triumph in her aura, she obliged to the request and cupped her hand firmly against Bo's breast, "...why don't you prove how much of a 'good' girl you are by letting me heal you?" To enforce the charm in her approach, she was kneading her palm and fingers into the succubus' flesh in an action that could only be described as thorough and controlled.

The succubus' mind suddenly became a very messy place of lust and failing restraint, she despised how one woman could have these effects on her. After all, Lauren was hardly the mysterious type, or at least she wasn't to the same extent. A moan broke by Bo's lips as she kept her hand gripping softly against Tamsin's. "I think I want you to do more than heal me..."

"Is that so? What _do_ you want me to do, succubus?" Acting as if she didn't already know the answer, the blonde was mocking a voice of innocence, she became aware that it drove the brunette impatient given the way that she was starting to press her hips back into her body.

Bo tipped her head around to a sidewards angle, trying to stare at Tamsin through her now blue eyes. She brought her unoccupied hand up, entangling her fingers through the soft locks of blonde hair as she attempted to tug the valkyrie's ear to her waiting lips, "I want you to f-"

The suggestive sentence was slashed before the finish when footsteps had approached; Kenzi rounded back into the room, with her eyes on the folder in her hand. The second that she chanced a look upwards, the two females were rapid to detach themselves from one another. Tamsin had nearly leapt halfway across to the other side of the table and Bo spun around so quickly that she came close to knocking the lamp onto the floor. As a coolly composed excuse, the detective cleared her throat and shook her head, "no, Bo, I didn't see anything in your eye. You're good."

Mimicking the same awkward response, the brunette too had given her throat a clear, nodding feebly, "right, thanks for checking."

Kenzi watched the two as if they were aliens from another planet, her eyes slightly wide, with one brow raised, generally unconvinced. "Oh, please, the cat is out of the bag. You're both worse than a couple of lovesick teenagers. If you're going to frolic around, at least do it on the couch, it took me ages to set those folders on the table."

"_Kenzi!_" The succubus and the valkyrie blurted out at the same time, the former sounding embarrassed and the latter sounding agitated.

"What? I don't mind, Bo, honey, you're life in the romance department has been in a real rut, you told me that you want Miss Blondie-Hotness over here all to yourself, and that you couldn't let go of her."

The girl's undiluted honesty brought a sudden smirk of teasing across Tamsin's lips, as though she had somehow one-upped the brunette, "she said that huh?"

"Yeah," the thief nodded, ignoring the blushing loon that Bo had now become over by the lamp, "just like the way you said that BoBo is the better part of your life and that you're 'enthralled' by her kindness."

Now, the tables had turned, with the blonde's grin hitting the floor, while the succubus gave a gleeful smile.

"One, I was trying to speak quickly because you were hounding me with questions. And two, I'd prefer it if you didn't italicize the word '_enthralled_' like that, you make if sound as if I was some spellbound moron."

"Oh, let the girl speak," Bo waved a hand forward, trying to recover from the earlier sex-driven state of mind that the blonde had gotten her in, "we're all friends here after all."

Kenzi snorted when she heard the last sentence that had been uttered by the brunette, "it sounds like you and Tammy are friends with major, MAJOR, benefits...and a bucket load of feelings. I don't know why you don't admit that you care about each other already, I hear about it so much that I feel like my head is going to explode."

No one was willing to pick up the gauntlet and say anything upon the conversation, maybe because nothing could be argued. Either that or it was just too damn uncomfortable. Tamsin had been leaning partially against the surface of the table, with one leg crossed over the other. Yes, it was a position she had taken in order to suppress back the arousal that had coursed through her system, but it was calming down now. "Well, since we are on the topic of my many benefits, then you should knock sense into your friend. She's injured and she won't use my energy to heal herself."

"Tamsin!" Bo stretched her hand out and gave the blonde a soft whack in the shoulder, her voice mopey.

The younger girl's eyes danced between them both, but soon settled on the stubborn brunette, "you're hurt and you don't want to fix yourself? Bo, have you lost your mind? Of course you need to get healed."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know, but I just - I don't want to have to use Tamsin every time I get myself hurt, it's not fair to her." Bo's eyebrows were kinked, guiltily, her bottom lip looking as though it was ready to protrude into a pout.

"That's sweet and all, although you're a succubus, you need to feed."

"Thanks for the reminder Kenz," the brunette sighed slowly, "but I'm trying to do the decent thing here."

The Russian female gave her index finger a stern point toward the valkyrie, spontaneously, "and _you_ have let her stagger around all night without trying to shove your Chi down her throat? Explanation please!"

Tamsin's eyes bulged as she placed a hand to her own chest, "you're blaming me!?" her voice oozed a forced disbelief, "seriously? I'll have you know that I almost seduced her into feeding from me, until you stormed back into the room."

"I knew it!" Bo exclaimed, also resorting to directing her attention straight across the blonde, "I knew that you were all touchy feely just because you were trying to get your own way!"

"Wow, boo hoo, you caught me. My actions were clearly honorable."

"Ha, do valkyries even know what honor is?"

"Kenzi, call the hospital, let them know that they are about to have one dead ass succubus coming their way." The detective moved from the edge of the table, wearing a wide grin as she set her focus purely onto Bo.

The succubus matched the smirk with one of her own, she knew that the blonde was just trying to torment her, so she was up for playing with the farce, "careful there, teacher, you wouldn't want to mess up that pretty skirt of yours."

Seemingly, the two women looked as though they were eager to challenge one another, and Kenzi didn't see that as a great idea. She could practically feel the tension and want ricocheting between them and since she was going to be inside of the house all night, she'd rather not have a pre-screening of a valkyrie and a succubus having some crazy-kinky-sex-stand-off. She stepped directly in the line of fire, placing one hand to Tamsin's chest, and the other to Bo's. "Ladies, you're confusing the issue. Leave the romping for a time where I can't see you, or hear you. We should be focusing on solving this case."

Whatever outcome there would have been, it was going to remain a mystery as there was an unexpected knock at the front door. Such a simple sound had caused all three of the females to glance across to the direction of the hall. A visitor? This hadn't been on the cards. A silence loomed in the living room, more than likely because they were mentally trying to suss out who was at the entrance to the house. Yet, the riddle was uncovered in a mercifully short period of time as a Kenzi abruptly called out, "Who is it?"

The answer was rather spontaneous too, "Kenzi? It's John, I just thought I would pop around to make sure that you were alright, is your mother in?" The familiar male voice called out which cleared away confusion. The blonde shook her head in a sense of stupidity that she hadn't been able to predict this.

"Damn, it's him, shh, lets pretend we're not here." The girl whispered quietly, holding her hands up as though she was beckoning for no one to make any sudden movements.

Tamsin was looking at the female as though she was a lunatic, "Kenzi, you just said 'who is it' he knows that we are here." Having to correct the thief's tendency to be naive, she stared at her, and then to the quiet succubus. From first sight alone, she could swear that she saw envy shining in Bo's eyes.

"The school principal gives house calls? That's not right, we should send him away. Like, immediately." The brunette mumbled coldly and glared across to the wall so as to avoid the smug irises of the valkyrie.

_'Jealousy, huh? This might be the break I need,'_ the detective's thoughts only gleamed in succession as she began to step backwards to the exit of the room, taking lazing strides. "I'll tell you what, feed from me and I will send him away."

"Not a chance, you're not going to break my resolution that easily." For a change, she was in the role of letting her pride get the better of her.

"Suit yourself, I guess I'll just have to make dear John feel welcome in this house, if you catch my drift." The valkyrie gave a subtle wink and then made her way out to the hallway in order to answer the door.

Bo's jaw dropped at the insinuation as to what was about to happen, "she's not serious? No, I mean this is Tamsin," trying to laugh it off, she found that it done zilch to help her recently unsettled mind, "she isn't going to flirt with this guy. No, no way."

Kenzi would have given her friend another wake-up call by shaking her, if it weren't for the sore wound her side was suffering from. "At least you don't sound jealous," she breathed through sarcasm and then continued, "Bo bear, she wants to heal you, she's gunna do what it takes until you give in."

"She's such a cheater, this isn't fair at all. Believe me I can sense that guy's aura from outside and he isn't as chaste as he acts." The brunette tried to avoid growling.

"That's the thing about valkyries, they play to win, now either you do the world a favor and get yourself healed, or you risk seeing this cretin touch your goods."

"Ugh, no matter what I do I lose. If I take Tamsin's Chi, it'll just prove that I have no control around her, but if I don't then I'm signing myself up for hell." Bo brought her hand to her forehead, slapping her palm against the area lightly, "this is a disaster."

Being in the position of observing her best friend in a state lower than hopeless, Kenzi realized that she had an obligation to want to make things right, "okay, okay, I'll tell you what, since I'm the most amazing human on the face of this world, I'll sort this out for you."

The succubus, astonished, narrowed her eyes curiously, "how are you going to do that?"

"Oh, there's one sure way. Just watch and learn from the master, but you are going to need to back me up."

Before Bo could actually learn what this ingenious plan of the girl's was, she broke her attention back across to the left, having to stomach the way that Tamsin had walked back into the room, along with the male, who seemed to be doting on her every word. It made her want to hurl a baseball at his face to knock the overcompensating smile away. And then she wanted to ravish the valkyrie as if there was no tomorrow, to prove that she was too precious for anyone else to be able to touch.

As the male's vision met her own, she gave a small smile of courtesy. Unfortunately this wasn't the first time that they had been in each other's company. He was the one who gave her clearance in the school after all, "good evening."

Her greeting brought a frown of puzzlement to the male's face, making him stare across to the blonde and then back to the front again, "I didn't suspect that you were going to be here, officer. Is everything alright?"

"Well-"

The moment that the succubus' lips parted, with the start of the syllable escaping, she fell into the common habit of being interrupted when Kenzi stepped forward. She suspected that her friend was about to have a shining moment to reveal whatever trick she had up her sleeve.

And so the girl beamed the brightest smile imaginable, "oh, everything is fine, Bo is my other mother."

_Crash._

Tamsin had accidentally knocked an ornament to the side, during a step back in utter and inequitable shock. Inside she was balling Kenzi's name over and over, each time sounding more scolding. _'Oh, that little...'_

The man was startled by the shattering of the small vase, but he was more taken aback by the news he had heard, "you mean to say that-"

"Yup," Kenzi nodded proudly, "Tamsin is my biological mother and Bo is her wife. They're my parents."

If ever the succubus could smother her best friend in a thousand hugs and kisses it would be now, she couldn't resist wrapping her arm around the girl's neck, pulling her in closer.

"EX-WIFE. Ex!" The valkyrie blurted out too quickly that she almost sounded as though she was choking, her cheeks were near to flushing a different shade, but she refused to be outsmarted by a young girl who couldn't even fire a gun straight.

_'Damn, she's good,'_ Kenzi berated herself for not having covered this angle, so she just waved her hand forward, "don't be silly mom, you two are always going to work things out."

"She's a delirious child, John. After seeing that dead boy today, she's grasping at hopeful straws in life."

The school principal stood with a gaze as wide as plates as he spectated the scene in front. He was still coming to terms with the fact that the young girl had made the claim that the blonde held a preference over the same gender, relationship-wise. "If she is your ex then what is she doing here? Is that why she was so insistent on seeing you at the school today?"

"Well, she works in the next town, she's obsessed with me. I guess with all of the killings lately, she just wanted to get involved." Tamsin's lie over the event was formed in split seconds as she tried to keep an unbreakable image. So, Bo and Kenzi were throwing her off her game? Attempting to thwart the tactic of invoking jealousy? Well, she lived for a challenge, and she would not lose this.

Tilting her head, the succubus couldn't find the same defensive approach to her best friend's solution; she admired it. She really owed Kenzi for this. "Now, sweetheart, don't be cold. We can talk about this."

"You're still like a broken record, aren't you? Always begging for another chance." With the way that things were playing out, the blonde knew that she had to amp up her game. Inwardly, she loathed the idea of acting like a flirt around someone she didn't particularly care for, but these were the limits she had to stoop to. If only she hadn't been interrupted mid-seduction earlier then the succubus would've given in and they wouldn't be in this crazy position. "I keep sending signals over and over, but nothing gets beyond that thick skull of hers. Some women can't take a hint, right?" Directing her sights to the male next to her, she offered a grin - because she sure as hell wouldn't waste a smile on him.

"Perhaps it would be best if I came back at a less inconvenient time?" The male seemed to be uncomfortable in the atmosphere, but if one thigh, he couldn't quite take his eyes off of the valkyrie.

It was an issue that Bo was forced to glare at through a glowering envy. She was going to lose this - because even the mental image of someone other than herself hitting on the blonde was a total annoyance.

That happened to be the beauty of unwillingly caring for a person, sometimes it took the interference from another to realize how protectiveness could so quickly birth.

"No need to leave, you can stay for as long as you like John, I can't tell you how much I enjoy having you here." Even if Tamsin was speaking to the man front on, her words weren't efforts that she paid heed to. All she wanted to do was defeat the brunette's resistance. She gave the principal a firm pat on the shoulder which drew a warmer smile from him. "After all, my ex was just about to leave...unless she has anything else that she wanted to ask me?"

The succubus could've sneered at the hint being made.

Basically, she was being asked whether or not she had changed her mind about their previous dispute.

Could she seriously risk irritating herself over the valkyrie's tactful display? Petty jealousy was consuming her at a hideous rate.

"I'll take that as a no then? Fair enough-" As the blonde shrugged the issue away, she turned back to face the other male, in preparation to make more of this insufferable small talk. But, as destiny would have it, the second she had displaced her attention onto him, she had kick started a reaction from the succubus.

"Can I have a word with you, in the kitchen?" Bo was gritting her teeth as a sign of forthcoming defeat as she snatched a hold of the valkyrie's arm, she began to drag her across to the exit of the area. Waiting for verbal consent was an element she had lost the patience for.

Normally Tamsin would have protested or even growled in retaliation, but she could see the surrender in the brunette's actions. So, she assumed that she had won this challenge of theirs. Succubi and envy were apparently a bad combination. She kept a note to rely on the same tactic if ever she needed to try and draw the spotlight away from the good doctor. "We won't be long."

Her half conscious words of dismissal were enough to make Kenzi's eyes roll, "yeah right," she mumbled, but then she recalled that she was in the presence of the confused male. If anything at least she could attempt to draw some information out of him. As his sights were focused on the departing females, she took the time to step back and cover over the school files that were spread on the table - courtesy of placing the newspaper on the top. "So, the school isn't closing down... why would that be?"

By the time that the detective had been led to the other room, she heard the droll conversation in the background, so she admired Kenzi's improvisation skills. Once inside of the kitchen, she was nearly startled by how rapidly the succubus had shut the door behind. With the rigors of hardships between them lately, the atmosphere always held stress. Tamsin directed her gaze over to see the brunette's glowing eyes staring straight back at her with a smoky haze of lust. "Well, I wonder what could possibly be so important that you had to drag me all the way in here..." She played around with her words; the answer being obvious. Oh, how she enjoyed riling the other woman.

"Don't be coy," Bo urged forward and in one swift stride she had pushed the valkyrie up against the door, the enthusiasm was so much that a gentle thud sounded on impact, "you know exactly why we are in here."

"Because you always listen to the thoughts between your legs?" Tamsin's smirk was growing, she let herself stay pressed in the trapped position, "petty jealousy, even? Or are you finally coming to terms with the fact that you can never beat me?"

In a flurry of frustration, the succubus clasped a hold of the blonde's cheeks and yanked her forward, into a timely kiss. Their lips bruised together, as usual, but it shot into her like a surge of electricity. "Do you ever shut up?" She grumbled inaudibly as her mouth pushed sorely against the valkyrie's. Her fingernails were raking along her jaw, descending down each side of her throat, to her clavicles.

"You'd be bored if I did." Talking into a flushing kiss was hard work, but the blonde had managed at a push.

And speaking of 'pushes', she found that Bo was intent to slide her tongue between her lips; the muscle flickering desperately and wantonly into her own. Every affection amongst them was always followed by war. Tamsin grabbed at the succubus' hips, hauling her in closer, until she could feel the ferocious pounding of her heart against her own chest. But it wasn't enough, as the brunette was still insistent on pressing tighter and tighter, until it almost became painful.

Yet, any discomfort soon transformed straight back into a whirlwind of pleasure as she felt the woman's nails scrape down the front of her body, to her waist, she was making little attempts to hitch the grey skirt up, however Tamsin suspected as much, so she caught her wrists to prevent her from having the chance, "uh, uh, you've got to give a little to get a little," she bargained, nudging away from the door as she backed the succubus over to one of the counters.

Bo's chest was heaving by the time she found herself knocking into said surface, she allowed herself to perch upon the edge, for no reason other than the fact that she could now lock her legs around the valkyrie's hips - which she done in record time. "Can you wipe that ridiculously charming smirk from your face, please?" It was bad enough that she was submitting into her needs, but seeing it being flaunted was much worse. Although, she _loved_ it.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Tamsin's grin began to widen, coincidentally, and she noticed how it could capture the brunette into a trance, "darling, I don't even need to go full valkyrie to make you doubt your own control, you do that just fine by yourself."

"No thanks to you, it should be illegal for someone to be this irresistible," the succubus was groaning in a miserable playfulness as she wound her arms around the detective's neck, speaking against her warm lips. Every couple of seconds they would share a small kiss between their words, which only happened to add to the level of burning desire that was on the rise.

"You think I'm irresistible? Mm, that's a new one," the blonde slipped her hands down to grip at Bo's thighs, progressing to give her palms a firm and possessive grind up towards her core, "more irresistible than Lauren?"

The succubus jerked at the rough contact, feeling a pleasant heat shoot right through her, ending up somewhere in her groin. She arched her spine, resting her back against one of the cabinets behind, "yes," she answered in a burst of breath, "...yes," her emphasize was honest, but held a guilty pleasure to it.

"I think your doctor has been to soft with you, you need to be challenged," Tamsin was grasping harsher still, her hands now settled at the apex of the female's thighs, "one night with me and I bet I can blitz away every ounce of pleasure that your other lovers have given you. I could take you to extreme heights."

"Extreme heights..." Bo was murmuring along, light headed with the lack of reliance upon her brain, "I think you should, we're still due a rematch after all."

"Then why don't you top up on your stamina," the valkyrie dropped an obvious hint about healing, though she knew it was the original reason she had been hauled in here for, she just needed to press upon it. Once the succubus was in healthy condition, then she would be able to focus on life properly again.

Bo's eyes glinted in a husky passion and she ran her fingers down the back of the blonde's neck, guiding their lips together once more, only this time, seconds into the kiss, she left her mouth agape and began to draw the valkyrie's Chi from her. The delicious energy was passing to her in the predominant glow of blue, satisfying into every inch of her body and soul. She could hear a diminutive whimper from the female, which only motivated her to coil her legs tighter around her waist.

The valkyrie was bearing with the increasing feeling of draining within her system, it became more intense causing her to clutch lightly against the wooden counter top with one of her hands. The other was just too stubborn to remove from the succubus' thigh, though her fingers did begin to clamp into the material of her trouser leg, as a sign that the feeding process was taking it's usual toll.

All pain in the brunette's ribcage had mended over the course of how much Chi she'd taken to heal the bones and bruising. The potent source of energy from the valkyrie was an intoxicating form of addiction to her, so she often had difficulties while pulling away. When she felt a small squeeze against her thigh, it clicked her back into reality, and she managed to break away from the contact.

In the aftermath, both women were panting for entirely different reasons, Bo from rejuvenation, and Tamsin from exertion.

"Still as delightful as always," the succubus ran her tongue over her bottom lip as though she was savoring the taste that she had once again become acquainted with.

"I'm glad that you're juiced again, at least now I won't have to worry about you dropping dead," the detective's comment was breathless as she shook her head, regaining a composure from the sudden sale of energy she had given away.

"I believe you said something about taking me to new heights?" Bo's mind was set onto what priority she felt should come first in her life right now. The warm color of hazel had returned to her irises.

Venturing back to the promise of sex, Tamsin inched in, scattering tender kisses along the succubus' jaw, to her earlobe, "I was lying," she whispered without any failure.

"What do you mean?" With her expectations falling down to ashes, the brunette's nose scrunched in confusion as she tried to pull back to figure out whether this was a joke or not.

And apparently not.

"I wanted to get this feeding business over and done with quickly, so I just lured you in." Deception should have been Tamsin's middle name, especially with the broad smirk that her lips had curled into, "it seems like a promise of sex makes you very willing, tsk, tsk, you really are love's whore aren't you?"

"Hey, be nice," Bo strengthened the hugging of her legs around the blonde's hips, keeping her in place, "if you're so calm around me, then why don't you lower your guard? Let me read your aura."

"Mmm, no. It must suck, right? Not being able to read me like you can everyone else?"

"Maybe you're just afraid that I'll find out just how much you _really_ want me."

"I've learned to conceal my powers, my thoughts and my feelings succubabe, wanna know why?" Tamsin leaned in until her lips were no more than half an inch from Bo's, "because I don't want anyone to know what I'm capable of."

"You don't have to hide around me, I'm intrigued to find out exactly what you're made of," the succubus' hands roamed down the front of the detective's body, brushing over her curves, "with all of the times you have saved my life, I want to repay you in full, if you'll let me."

"A tempting offer, but I'm going to pass. We both know it's only a matter of time before you run back to Lauren with your tail between your legs." With that, Tamsin had intended to shunt away, but she realized that she couldn't with the tight bind she was in.

"You heal me and then insult me? You're a real piece of work Tammy," Bo didn't speak through a voice of annoyance, but the blonde's callous attitude did irk her to no limitations, "will you ever believe me when I tell you that I'm sorry?"

"I do believe you, it's trusting your judgement that I'm questionable towards."

"Then you should judge this instead..." The brunette didn't finish her words, but instead, prepared to initiate another kiss. Her lips were close enough to Tamsin's as it was that she could practically feel her, although the door to the kitchen suddenly sprung open, which caused her to snap her sights into the direction.

"There is no stopping with you two is there?" Kenzi gave a lecture, placing her hands on her hips, acting like the scolding mother, "whenever I look away you're trying to steam up the windows."

Bo was back to blushing furiously as she undid her hold on the valkyrie, allowing her the space to pull away to a less tempting distance. Her best friend had a killer sense of timing sometimes, that much couldn't be argued, "haven't you heard of knocking?" she asked, but quickly scrapped waiting for an answer and kinked a brow instead, "where is the principal?"

"Well, we were talking and he kinda heard a lot of rukus going on in here, so he put two and two together and felt that it was best if he left. I showed him the door Kenzi-style." The girl explained, wiping her hand against her own shoulder, as though to brush away the dust after a job well done.

Seeing as how Tamsin had faked an interest in the male to get to the succubus, she cared little about his departure and just made her way into the hallway, "awesome, so did you find out anything useful?"

The thief was following back into the living room, like a bounding puppy, and the succubus could only blink in disbelief as she watched. Firstly, she was stunned as to how quick the valkyrie's mind could alter, and secondly, she was even more amazed to see how taken her best friend had become. It was oddly sweet. With a deep sigh, she came down from the surface and also made her way back into the lounge area of the house.

Kenzi yawned, stretching her arms out to the side as she tried to recall what vital information she could, "hmm, well, he said that the mayor of this town calls the shots and that he's permitted that the school stays open."

"The mayor, huh?" Tamsin felt as though this character was going to be a piece of the puzzle, "if he is willing to leave the town in a state of anarchy then perhaps he has something to hide. We should go and check it out."

"Tonight? Dude, it's dark outside and all of this undercover student stuff is tiring, do you know how many essays I've had to write today?" The younger female commented, pouting tiredly, "can't we pick it up tomorrow? I could use rest, and so could you blondie, you're all pale."

"I'm_ always_ pale."

"Yeah, but you look like you could give the Grim Reaper a run for his money, Bo, tell her."

The succubus tilted her head, edging over to agreement with her young friend, "she has a point, a little rest would do you good, and then you can be the savior tomorrow."

Arrogantly, the blonde folded her arms across her chest and glared as the wall, "fine, whatever, I'll bring this town down in the morning."

"Sweet," the thief chirped happily, beginning to walk backwards in the direction of the staircase, "now if you two don't mind, sleep is calling me."

Tamsin merely nodded as she watched the Russian girl escape from sight; her ascension on the steps could be heard though, until the noise grew fainter and fainter. Somehow, the two other females were always being left alone in a room together. Was that smart? Safe? Sane?

"Look," Bo began, blowing out a small breath, "I don't want to impose, so I'll crash on the couch tonight."

"It's alright, I'll take the sofa. You should be in a bed, you were the one who got injured today, not me." The valkyrie's protest was serious, even though she didn't owe it to the brunette, she was willing to take the less comfortable option.

"No way, you and Kenzi are working hard on this case, you need to have a decent rest, please, just go and relax. I'll see you in the morning." As the succubus gave a gentle smile through her words, she had already made a point of settling down onto the couch. She had screwed up enough lately, so she didn't plan to enforce that she get better accommodation, the valkyrie had been through a lot these past few days, if anything she deserved a break above everyone else.

Despite the need to argue, the detective saw no point, she was still confused over the issue of having the succubus in her world so soon again. She hadn't prepared and things were getting out of hand quickly, they had been flirting and kissing shamelessly throughout the majority of the later evening today. Tamsin nodded to herself and turned on her heels, making her way to the door, she assured herself that her choice was for the best. But, regardless, while passing by the table, she couldn't help looking across the surface to see that Bo's phone was lying there. As she walked, she gave one peer down to the small monitor, and when doing so, she was met with quite a surprise.  
The text on the screen made her heart flip around like a wild animal.

_'Nineteen missed calls from Lauren?'_ She posed an internal question at what she saw and gave an immediate glance back to the brunette, _'so she wasn't lying when she said that she had dodged the doctor just to be here with me...'_

Such a strong revelation was making her head spin, because she had made a point of showing some rejection to the succubus all night, purely under the impression that this wasn't anything serious. She assumed that Bo chased after her for a booty call of some sort; a last ditch of comfort. Although, if she truly wanted to run back to Lauren, then why would she have ignored her calls? Not once - but nineteen times.  
Bo must have been feeling more lonely than she let on right now.

She was risking a serious relationship just to be here.

For once, a faint smile had crossed Tamsin's lips. Her steps paused, and she then reversed all of her movements until she had walked back to the couch, "change of plan," she reached out, taking the confused succubus' hands within both of her own, "you're bunking up with me tonight."

The brunette's brows shot up, astonished, as she was pulled up to her feet by the valkyrie, the turn of events had really shocked her, "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, honestly, I'll stay on the sofa."

"Bo, either you walk with me, or I drag you kicking and screaming. In no outcome will you be staying on the couch." The detective persisted and she was in the process of walking, leading the woman with her. At first she was met with hesitation, but the sincere glimmer in her eyes must have let the succubus know that it was alright; that it wasn't some sick trick.

"What changed your mind?" While ascending the stairs, Bo's eyes were on the blonde's back as they moved, she had fallen so easily under the desire to stay with the detective.

"I don't want you to be on your own," Tamsin wouldn't explain that she had stolen a look at the brunette. Her choice wasn't from a heavy conscience, she just didn't want the drama of bringing the doctor into a conversation. As she came to the ground of the second floor, she led down to the open door at the left-hand side of the hallway - assuming that Kenzi had taken the other bedroom.

An assumption that was proven correct when the valkyrie had stepped over the threshold, finding the area to be empty. She hadn't heard a response for the succubus, so she didn't push for one, it was refreshing to have escaped the usual bombardment of questions.

She started to unbutton her own blouse after letting go of Bo's hand, seeing as how she had no nightwear packed, she couldn't afford to sleep in her current attire. Once the shirt had come loose, she slipped it from her shoulders and placed it onto the armchair. The succubus' hungry eyes were on her, she could feel it, but she didn't complain. It wasn't anything new, so she proceeded with unzipping the pencil skirt, shifting her hips a little while she tugged it down. At the attire pooled at her feet, she stepped out of it and leaned down to remove the heeled shoes that had been pestering her all day. "You're going to be uncomfortable with all of those clothes on succubus."

Bo's mouth ran dry as she scanned her sights down the length of the valkyrie's toned body, "sure, um, that's a good point," as she commenced with undressing herself, she found it impossible to deter her gaze, "we wouldn't want that."

"No, we wouldn't." The idle and pointless chit-chat caused the blonde to chuckle to herself as she crawled onto the bed, each action more naturally seductive than the last - and she wasn't even aware of how suggestive it probably looked. It just so happened that she defined appeal with everything she done. Tamsin pulled the duvet back so that she could slip underneath the sheets beneath. The mattress was soft against her body, which she prepared a small groan in delight for. Laying on her side, she was propped on one elbow, resting her hand against her cheek as she watched the brunette. Much like herself, Bo was only left in her undergarments, "at least your ribcage looks like it's in perfect condition."

"It is...thank you, you've done a bang up job." The succubus took timid steps over to the bed, her actions held uncertainty because she wasn't used to the detective being so inviting. Didn't she usually hate company? This was rather bizarre.

A frown creased Tamsin's brows at the delay so she stretched out and grabbed the other woman's wrist, tugging her onto the mattress with more force that was necessary, "don't be such a child about this, I'm not going to bite." As the succubus tried to fix herself into a pleasant position on the mattress, the valkyrie too chose to relax. She now lay down on her back.

"You're being really...nice." Bo tentatively mimicked the same posture, but unlike the blonde, she didn't stare at the ceiling above.

"Eugh, nice? Of all the words...I'd have preferred honorable, or at least venerable." The valkyrie's expression matched her distaste for the syllable used to describe her rare generosity. Her nose wrinkled and she closed her eyes.

"You play the fool, but you've got such a big heart."

"Ha, don't get all sentimental on my ass, my heart is only big because the emptiness makes it so large and livable." At the careless disregard to said organ, the blonde was grinning.

And yet, Bo was not.

She altered onto her side and cupped Tamsin's cheek with her palm, tilting her head around so that she could maintain some eye contact between them. Fortunately it hadn't taken much effort to coax the woman into looking at her, "if you let me inside then it won't have to be an empty place."

The valkyrie found no physical response to give, mainly because her throat became numb as she watched the other female. How in the world was she going to reply to something like that?

She didn't have to let Bo in - because Bo _was_ already inside, and had been for quite some time now.

Admitting it to herself was just a trial that she wasn't prepared to undertake. She convinced her own mind that she was hollow, but her heart was consumed by the succubus.

Mercy had been granted when the brunette shifted again, this time resting her cheek against the blonde's chest so that she could cuddle in close to her. Her arms were draped loosely around Tamsin's waist; her fingers absentmindedly brushing along her sides. "I really didn't mean to hurt you."

The constant apologies coming from the succubus made the valkyrie feel guilty on the inside, because she knew that deep down, Bo was genuinely the warmest character around. She was pure and virtuous, not to mention selfless and a woman worth respect. Hearing how hard she was being on herself felt wrong. Tamsin thought of no stronger reassurance, and so resorted to wrapping her arms around the female, "can you move on already? That's in the past now, I swear if you bring it up again then I will force Kenzi to read poetry in front of you."

"Point taken," Bo tried to smile and placed a light kiss to Tamsin's collarbone, "I'll try to get some rest." After her conclusion, her eyes drifted shut as she snuggled in to the valkyrie.

For the first - or perhaps second - time in the blonde's life she felt a profound sense of happiness wash over her. She was at peaceful odds with the succubus and nothing was better. If she could have stayed in this moment for the remainder of eternity then she would've done just that.

Unfortunately though, being a valkyrie, a joy like that was unachievable. She was coming to the end of her life cycle and every day was a step closer to the finale.

The only thing she was certain of in this world was that she'd be a champion for the woman in her arms.

She could lust after Bo one moment and become endearing with her the next.

No one had brought such a vast change out of her before.

* * *

Sorry about the slight delay on posting this up guys, I wanted to input a balance of Valkubus and general Kenzi awesomeness! I think it's clear that she ships Bo and Tamsin just as much as we do! xD

Again, I'm not sure whether that chapter was a mess of confusion or what not (I hope not!) but if so, then I apologize!

Oh, but I will say this, PREPARE, because the next chapter is gonna be all dark and steamy! Like I really want to tell you all what I've got planned, but I can't...must resist... must resist! c';

(Reviews!)

_TheJojo99_ - You're most welcome my friend! I love giving you quick updates, usually I go for 1-2 days between chapters, but if it was physically possible for me to get it done in an hour then I would. ;D  
Oh Tamsin definitely found a way to heal Bo, you're right about that. And Kenzi just loves to throw some childish drama into the mix, it's like she doesn't want anyone else trying to ruin the Valkubus relationship. ;)  
Ah, the Disney Sea sounds wonderful, I've see a few pictures of it before and it looked pretty cool. I'm sure if Bo or Tamsin gave you a massage then you'd wanna try and make it last for...well, forever... c':

_bruubertolo_ - Oh my god! That's hilarious - I LOVE IT! I totally agree, I'd be like that student as well, if stepping out of line meant staying after hours with Tamsin - then sign me up! xD  
And those are very good questions, because right now, Bo is trying to make things right with our favorite valkyrie, but if she sees Lauren again (which she has to at some point) she might confuse herself. And that'll be even more horrible for poor Tammy, these damn doctors... ;)

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - It's kinda funny isn't it? Usually Tamsin would be in the more dominant role of Officer, but it's Bo this time. I bet they both love it. ;D  
Kenzi is definitely trying to make them both realize how much they care for one another, it's so easy for her to see after all, so she just wants to knock sense into the two of them. (':

_Guest(s)_ - Tamsin gets the best teacher award in my books; like I'd want to give her a high-five for keeping everyone in line with her unique methods. [;  
And agreed, jealousy is always a fine option in the world. x)

_Puppets' Master_ - YES! LET US GET MARRIED STRAIGHT AWAY! ;D  
How could I ever refuse such a beautiful proposal? (';  
Thank you, so, so much! Ugh, I want to give you a dozen hugs, and then a dozen more after that! It's wonderful to hear how much you're happy with the fanfiction so far! It's amazing to know, and more importantly, you are amazing!  
So, merci beacoup, and p.s, you are secretly my HUGE holy reviewer crush. x]

_Snagam80_ - Well, there can never be enough Kenzi/Tamsin/Bo interactions, I love making the three of them squabble over nothing. Like, one second it's Kenzi and Tamsin teasing Bo, and then Bo and Kenzi suddenly team up. I'm glad that I am sating your hunger for this fabulous trio and I promise you that I will always do everything I can to try and give you as much entertainment out of this story that I can. I love combining all elements into it, romance/humor/adventure. It's all good. And thank you, thank you, thank you! Your positivity means the world to me! :'D  
OH, I'm so glad that you noticed the whole school staying open thing too, because I have a plan as to why that is. You're right though, no one in their right mind would keep the building open if kids are getting their damn hearts torn out. I tip my hat to you for pointing it out, you're a hero, touching on the welfare of these poor, hopeless, teenagers who keep dying on campus! ;D  
But yes, there are reasons for this which I will be more than happy to explain to you, granted they might not appear to be the most 'solid' reasons, but I'll work around that, mwhahah! x]

_FlipChick23_ - Well thanks to Kenzi's work so far, they seem to have more info to go on to catch the Fae, she's such a clever girl at times! ;D

_BSwifty1997_ - Haha, you're right, I could've actually imagined her shouting it myself! It's probably thanks to Kenzi that Tamsin isn't as mean as she usually is, but you're right, I think she is still wary around the edges with Bo for the time being. xD

_Shelby09_ - Awh, you're so sweet! I'm glad that you liked the quote though, it just seemed as though it would be something the Kenzi blurted out, to make a point. I adore you for loving the anguish that I'm writing about, Bo and Tamsin have such a special relationship to one another that it is painful for them both, even in spite of how happy it probably makes them. xD  
And I'm so thankful to you for reading and enjoying the story too! It's so awesome, you rock! I'm always going to do my best to try and give speedy updates for you. ;D

_Capt. S_ - Why thank you, I pictured Bo as an officer and the image just sounded so appealing that I had to write it in. ;D

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Oh yuss! I loved your review! It's so perfect, everytime I read it, I just grin like a fool. Thy words are so true! ;D  
These damn fae, turning off lights, honesty, talk about bad timing in life. c':


	14. Hopeless And Helpless

"Oh, my lover, on a long long empty road.

Oh, sweet lover, I got lost."

- Lost, _Vast_

* * *

Throughout the remainder of the darker hours, all had been stunningly passive within the confines of the rented house. As though the world was granting a moment of peace that had been due for a very long time now. A good eight or nine hours had swept by; the time on the digital clock displaying that it was nearly seven o'clock. An early start no less, but, truth be conveyed, the valkyrie had never been famous for heavy resting. Over her life span, she couldn't afford to let her guard down even for an instant. Call it paranoia, or call it smart security. Either way, it didn't change the fact that Tamsin had been in a light trance compared to the deep sleep that the succubus had drifted into so long ago now. Perhaps if there wasn't imminent danger and heart-ripping Fae on the loose then she could have relaxed more, yet, as for the time being, she simply wasn't cut out for the normality of life. So, sleeping wouldn't come easy for her. Even at the current moment, her eyes were open, staring aimlessly at the roof above. Bo had been hugging into her throughout the entire passage of the night, it made her feel like she was the most important person in the world - even if it was temporary. Glancing down, a faint smile graced along her lips as she watched the resting brunette, she appeared to be in a peaceful slumber.

Perhaps that discovery had been made too little, too late because it just so happened that when the clock had officially struck the hour, a courtesy alarm sounded off. The noise was a sharp buzzing and it made the blonde's expression shift into one of distaste. If she had her gun on her then she would have shot the object with no regrets, but that luxury was stripped from her, so she was forced to reach her arm across, slapping her hand against the button at the top to shut the irritable chiming off. The wake up call seemed to stir the succubus though and as she began to come to, Tamsin found the need to keep absolutely still, as if one wrong move would take her down an awkward path. Resting with the brunette, as she had done, was an incredibly affectionate gesture. One could argue that it was even out of love.

As Bo woke into the real world again, she knew exactly what had happened last night, but surely an early morning tease couldn't be passed up? Before opening her eyes, she exhaled a sigh that was overly content, squeezing her arms softly around the blonde's waist, "good morning, Lauren," she mumbled happily.

The unexpected name caused Tamsin to freeze, to her this was a scene of deja vu. Her eyes were wider and to be frank she was hesitating so much to the point where she sympathized with deers that got caught in headlights. How did she respond to something like that? Words were fleeing from her mind as though she had a plague in her brain, she couldn't fathom a reply to process.

As the brunette had predicted, she felt how rapidly the valkyrie's body had became all rigid and tense under her own, which inadvertently caused her smile to broaden into a tormenting grin. She knew that it was awful to put the female through early morning torture like this, but it was fun. The succubus gave up the ghost and leaned up from her resting position so that she could stare down at Tamsin's mortified face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding..." When she gave up the farce, she saw the way that the detective had huffed out a breathless sigh of utter shock and relief. From someone usually so bitchy, it was a reaction to be adored. "I'm kidding, come here," Bo soon felt as though she needed to give some proof of how happy she was that she had woken up next to the valkyrie, and in order to do that, she inched lower and stole a kiss from her lips.

Well, Tamsin was still trying to overcome the early morning heart attack that she had been subject to that she almost forgot to respond, but she wasn't _that_ naive. She reciprocated to the contact, mumbling a light, "you're such a bitch."

Bo was kept entertained by the detective's reactions, she shifted her posture so that she had hovered fully on top of the valkyrie, compared to staying at her side. Her face was ever so cheerful as she pressed her body lightly into Tamsin's, "think of it as pay back for the amount of times that you've called me a whore," she gave no chance for a witty remark and initiated another kiss with the blonde.

It was strange that both of the females were being less colossal than usual. They were acting as two normal partners probably should have, which was ironic, given that they technically weren't in a relationship.

Tamsin moved her lips back against Bo's, she initially tried to be fierce about it, but it didn't work too well when the succubus was being as soft as ever. It appeared as though this was an action out of affection rather than lust, for a change. It was new - she had never been a compassionate kisser before, it strayed way too close to that cursed little emotion called love. But, temptation won her over as she granted the succubus' tongue passage into her mouth.

And still, the deeper form of contact was just as slow and tender. The woman's muscle was caressing against her own; her hands beginning to wander down her sides, tracing along her toned flesh. Her body was to die for, she knew that much, although that probably made her seem self indulgent and arrogant - which, yes, she absolutely was.

As opposed as she was to challenging the authority that the brunette held currently, the valkyrie wasn't able to lie still, she slid her arms firmly around the waist of the perfect woman above her. She too had been caught in the trap of running her hands down the succubus' spine in that same adoring fashion. She found that it wasn't horrible to take things gentle, given that she had the right person.

Coincidentally, in her books, Bo Dennis just happened to be the epitome of the '_right_' person for her.

"Remind me to kick your ass the next time you play a practical joke like that." The blonde found that it was increasingly difficult to try and mumble into the kiss, the contact was just so soothing that it made her too lazy to want to talk.

Bo was grinning against her lips, "you know what they say detective, the path to paradise begins in hell," her words were purred professionally, like she was in total control. Dropping Lauren's name when she had woken up had appeased her dark humor, mainly because someone had to try and repay the teasing champion for the countless cocky remarks she gave on a daily basis.

"Speaking of hellish things, I do have work to get back to this morning," the valkyrie closed her eyes, exhaling a slow sigh when she felt that Bo's mouth was drifting along her jaw.

"Uh huh, but there is no real rush, is there?" The queen of seduction was finally beginning to make an appearance again as she reached the blonde's ear, "we could spend a couple of hours here so that I can show you how sorry I _really_ am."

"As good as that sounds..." While responding, Tamsin's words turned into a puddle of nothing when Bo had suddenly taken her lobe into her mouth, "...oh, it sounds much better now actually."

The succubus was grazing her teeth over the flesh, though only lightly, she could think of no better way to start the morning than to entice the detective. "Doesn't it just? Now, I think you can take a break from your double life as a teacher, you deserve a little _r and r_," her own voice was less audible, but she didn't attempt to alter it, she grabbed fondly against the valkyrie's sides instead. The warm flesh was giving a perfect heat to her cooler hands.

And the blonde was jouncing instinctively as the colder temperature. Yet, despite the outward sensation, her insides were burning with the sense of desire that Bo was trying to lure from her. "Oh, very clever, since you didn't get in my pants last night, you're trying to go for the medal this morning instead. Smooth, succubabe, real smooth."

"I can't believe you would ever think that I'd try to rob your virtue like that, honestly, Tamsin, I'm insulted," Bo's lips were carrying a greater smirk as she began to drag a series of slow kisses down the side of the valkyrie's throat.

"Ha, like there is anything left to rob," the detective rebounded in a breathless chuckle, but she was reduced to letting a small moan slip when the succubus' tongue flickered along her skin. Heck, it sent tingles and shivers all the way across her spine.

"Exactly, so, really, is there any reason for resisting me? Because I can't find one." Apparently Bo carried a little air of vanity about her as always, but it was probably amplified due to having the blonde right underneath her.

"Lets see, I have a beautiful succubus on top of me who is offering early morning sex..." Tamsin tilted her head, with the intention to look thoughtful, but she also provided more area of her neck for Bo's kisses to reach to, "...nope, it's one of these moments that I'd have to be a robot to reject."

"Good girl." The brunette hooked her thumbs underneath the thin waistband of the valkyrie's underwear as she nipped down her collarbone in a needy fashion which made another moan burst from Tamsin. "Very, _very_ good, in fact."

Just as she had prepared to tug the material down below the detective's thighs, ill fortune had struck again. Without any form of warning, the door swung open and Kenzi nearly skipped into the room - dressed and overall looking ready to continue this undercover mission. Her expression was cool and energetic, right up until the point where she saw that her best friend was pinning her recent blonde savior down to the mattress. And lets just say, they didn't look as though they were play wrestling.

In a slight embarrassment, the valkyrie slumped back hopelessly against the bed. Whenever she was seen in a less that dominant position, she always felt as though she was some pushover.

"Kenzi," Bo's voice had taken the usual tone of friendly disapproval as she gave a light glare across to the girl, "you really need to learn how to knock."

The Russian female was still in the process of blinking as she watched the scene in front of her (with no real intention to look away either) but a grin broke across her features and she crossed her arms and leaned one side of her body into the doorframe. "Well, forgive me, wonder snatch, I just assumed that the three of us would be up and raring to go - like Charlie's Angels. But since you two don't even leave a second to breathe, I can see that it's just Charlie's Angel. Namely _me_, that is ready."

"I tried to get up," Tamsin commented offhandedly, as though she wanted some credit.

"Apparently, you tried and failed. It's a good thing that I want you and BoBo to end up together, otherwise I wouldn't be so superbly calm right now."

"Well, thank god, the thought of your temper makes me shake." As the blonde opened her eyes, she smirked and edged herself up into a perfect sit-up, causing the succubus to shuffle back so that she was straddling her hips instead. The change in position gave Tamsin a close view of Bo's immaculate figure, she felt all sense of right and wrong scurry from her mind in that exact moment. "Say, Kenzi, why don't you take the day off school... have a walk around town, or something."

Bo knew the underlining meaning, in sex talk, the valkyrie was basically saying 'we want to screw all day, so you might not wanna stick around to hear it'. The idea that Tamsin was becoming so willing made all of her arousal surface. She took a hold of the blonde's shoulders, having that look in her eye as though she was ready to christen the bed with her until dusk.

The thief was reduced to placing her palm over her face, "you two are so hopeless, honestly, we have innocent people to save and you're just concerned about who is going to scream 'oui' first."

Leaving it a moment to see if either one of the older females would come to their senses, she realized that it was too much of a challenge so she walked further into the room and more importantly, over to the bed, "believe me as much as I would cheer for you both to have so much lovin' that you break the rules of reality and spawn me some valku-succu-sibling, I can't go around the town on my own. What if the Fae, you know, wants easy prey?"

It wasn't so strange that the sound of the residing logic in Kenzi's words had snapped Tamsin back into focus, she knew that the girl had made a valid point, "she's right, Bo. We can...talk about this later."

"I wouldn't say that a crazy tongue sex war qualifies as 'talking', but whatever, so long as you're happy," Kenzi cleared her throat, wearing a devious smile of mischief.

The valkyrie acknowledged the constant taunts from the female - also recalling the whole 'mother' scenario yesterday - so some due revenge was in order. "You're right, how silly of me." As Tamsin shifted from underneath the pouting succubus, she stood up from the bed, stretching out her limbs to clear away the stiffened joints. And yes, she was aware that she only happened to be wearing her undergarments. "But, I have a better compromise."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be? Whipped cream?" The thief's comebacks were skillfully sharp, as always.

And because of that, the detective felt the need to prove who the more effective teaser was. She stepped forward, closing the distance to the girl, giving the aura of some liger who was stalking nearer to helpless prey. "Actually, I was going to suggest that you join us."

"What...!?" The smirk vanished from Kenzi's face and was replaced with a sheer and utter look of shock and horror.

"You heard," Tamsin's voice only grew more confident as she stalked closer, enjoying the way that it caused the girl to then step back, "I'm sure it has crossed your mind. You. Me. Bo. Ménage à Trois"

Speaking of the succubus, she was chewing on the inside of her cheek, containing her need to chuckle as best as she could - she may not have been as tormenting about her best friend's entrance than the valkyrie, but it was an amusing show to spectate.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on a sec blondie, I mean... are you..." The Russian girl was stuttering and blushing, "...you're kidding right? You ARE joking?"

"Why in the world would I tell a joke about this?" The detective grasped a sudden hold of Kenzi's jacket, tugging her up closer than was appropriate. She was staring down at the nervous girl with a grin of sin. "Bo and I were talking about it last night, we want to test out your stamina." She stated factually and then trailed her left hand up, using her fingers to comb a strand of the girl's hair behind her ear, "you're such a pretty little thing after all."

"B-BO! Can you call your insane lover off, please!?" Kenzi was glancing desperately to either side, unable to function properly. Her cheeks were beaming brightly and her heart was racing at an extreme rate.

"Sorry Kenz, I'm with Tamsin on this one." The brunette gave a subtle wink in the background. She had no intention on stepping in, because seeing her friend under the pressure was just a comedy she couldn't resist.

"See," the valkyrie started to take a step back to the bed, giving the younger female a playful yank with her, "come on kid, take a walk on the wild side."

"I -what?" The Russian's eyes were bulging more than should have been possible for a human, but somehow she was creating a new record. "But I'm too young to be violated by a couple of lustful Fae!"

"That lame ass excuse won't work with me." Interestingly enough, the blonde would be intrigued to see how long it took her to push the girl to the breaking point, she figured she could get her there in only one more attempt, "you might be young, but you are certainly _all_ woman," the very second that she had began to lower her hand to Kenzi's thigh, she felt the sudden jump back that the thief had taken. The force and startlement had been enough to make her jacket slip from the blonde's grip.

"Alright, yikes!" The girl was fanning herself as she started to back up for the second time. "Why me?"

"Well, you were the one who called Bo my wife." Finally, Tamsin let the sham come to an end, but it had been worth it just to see the look of humiliation on the other female.

"So you were bullshitting me just to get payback!? Oh my god, you are worse than a child! That's right A CHILD, you were...and I was..."

"Yep, I aim to win. I hope that you have learned a lesson from this Kenzi; if you play with fire, you're going to get burned." The valkyrie was chuffed with herself as she walked past the girl, giving her a mocking pat of sympathy as she intended to reach the clothing that she had discarded the night before. "Besides, I consider myself monogamous," before she could even think on what she had admitted to, it had escaped, her realization was a sad second afterwards, "I mean, so...we're going to continue with this mission then huh? Tracking the Fae? Great!"

Granted, the diversion tactic may not have been the most applaudable, as evidence with the way that she could feel Bo's lingering gaze on her while she started to get dressed.

It wasn't long until the succubus had followed the same influence. Although her actions were less motivated, after all, she had been hoping for some action with her favorite valkyrie, alas though, it was probably more intelligent for them to focus on removing the problem within the town. They could leave bedroom activities for a later time.

Tamsin had been flimsy as she done up the buttons on her blouse, as well as adjusting the skirt properly to her hips so that it was hugging neatly to her lower body. Next came the shoes - which were a nuisance as always. The lack of flowing conversation was more than likely her own fault for the slip-up she had made. Bringing monogamy into things only proved that she had already chosen to devote herself to the succubus - and the succubus only. She needed to work the atmosphere back to something comfortable. "This works out quite well, I wanted to get into the school really early today so that I could talk to the nurse one on one, I figure that she wrote the case notes up on a few of the victims, so maybe she'll know more about what is going on."

The human girl was nodding along so far, trying to keep up with the plan that was being divulged, but she quickly raised a hand in thought, "oh, I also found out that the dead kids were referred to the guidance counselor, probably to talk through their problems. Maybe that could help too. Although, then again, I bet the principal also spoke to them, from time to time too..."

"Yes, thank you Kenzi, for adding to my 'to do' list." Tamsin huffed out a gentle breath as she fixed any remaining parts of her attire that she felt needed an adjustment.

While Bo had also completed changing into the same outfit of false identity, she took a chance to realize how much work the valkyrie was giving herself, therefore she scrunched her nose, wishing to lessen the workload, "I'll go into the town center and see if I can find this mayor, maybe if I talk to him it will give us something to go on."

"Sure, that sounds good. It'll save us a lot of time and effort," the detective explained as she looked from the younger girl and then to the brunette, "but remember, if anything happens, just run, that goes for the two of you."

"Running is my forte actually," Kenzi jested, but there was an element of sincerity involved somewhere too.

Bo's expression became tense as she fixed her sights solely upon the blonde, "and what about you? You need to keep yourself safe too, Tamsin."

"I'm not a delicate flower like yourself and the goth, I'm made of tougher stuff, succubus, I'll be fine." Tamsin was giving a strong reassurance, with a steadfast smirk to back it up. She had been in many conflicts throughout her life, so she liked to think that she had gained enough experience to handle herself in a dangerous predicament. "Look, I've got my phone with me, so we can keep contact, or updates, whatever."

"Awesome," Kenzi commented casually as she made her way to the door, "lets go, Holmes, we're taking your truck today after all, unless you wanna chase me all the way to the school again?"

"I'd rather not run in these heels," the valkyrie grinned across to the younger girl, observing as she exited from the room, she couldn't help but call out after her, "don't touch anything, Kenzi, one scratch in my truck's paint job and I'll ground you for an eternity."

She was sure that she could hear a mumbled 'yeah, yeah' from the other female, who was descending down to the bottom floor. The valkyrie was left diverting her attention back to the brunette, "remember Bo, this Fae we are dealing with is vicious, you can't afford to find some redeemable quality about it, so I expect you to kill it at any chance you get."

"Wow, spoken like a true barbarian."

"I prefer the term Scandinavian badass, but beggars can't be choosers," the blonde's brow was hitched up, smugly, "I mean it though, if you get into a fight, don't let your emotions get involved. Either kill the opponent or get the hell out of there."

"Is this protectiveness out of professionalism? Or is it personal?" Bo asked through a small smile as she came to stand less than two steps away from the valkyrie.

"Professional, of course," Tamsin answered slyly, but then she saw the unconvinced look on the brunette's face, so she amended her word to something truthful instead, "alright...both."

"Charming," as the succubus huffed out a gentle laugh, she brought her hands up to cup the detective's cheeks, stroking her thumbs against the warm flesh, "just promise me that you'll come back in one piece."

"This concern, is it professional or personal?" The valkyrie made a try to mimic the similar words that had been spoken to her no less than ten seconds ago.

"Personal." Bo didn't hesitate to give an honest reply, she pulled very softly against the woman's cheeks, guiding her down so that she could place a small kiss to her forehead. Even though she may not have expressed it to an outward readability, she had become awfully paranoid over the valkyrie, she only ever prayed that she could spare her from harm's way. "Please don't let your pride get in the way."

Tamsin's eyes were near to closing as she immersed in the relaxing feeling that was brought to her whenever the succubus gave her those little affections. Though small, they meant the world to her. And yet, she didn't want to dwell on this 'what if' speech, so she forced out a confident chuckle and pulled herself back, bringing her hand up to rub underneath Bo's chin, "you worry too much, I'm not the type to let some thieving shadow-dwelling Fae get the better of me."

"You're strong, I know that, but I still need you alive and kicking, valkyrie," the succubus was back to giving out a prolonged sigh, her eyes watching solely on the detective, who was beginning to step back to the door.

"Count on it," any of Tamsin's self doubt was unimaginable as she stepped into the hallway, "seriously Bo, if you get into trouble, call me, I'll come running. Your life is more valuable to me than every soul in this town. I'd sooner let this place rot in hell than risk any harm coming to you."

Yes, she openly admitted that she would choose the good of the one, over the good of the many. Unlike the succubus and the rest of the happy sunshine gang, Tamsin didn't believe that there was any worth to sacrificing a loved one to save a town full of strangers that she couldn't care less about. Maybe it was a selfish line of thought, maybe it was an endearing one, either way, she stuck by what she said. And once outside of the room fully, she turned to venture down the stairs, leaving the astounded succubus behind.

After all, it was time for herself and Kenzi to make an extremely premature visit to the high school.

The hunt was back in full swing.

* * *

With the newest initiative of taking the vehicle to the grounds of the educational building, those ten minutes it would have cost to walk was sliced down to a quick four instead. The valkyrie had been tempted to speed along the empty streets at an inappropriate and unlawful acceleration, but she had her gothic little sidekick lecturing her not to. It was a buzz kill, but in the long run, Kenzi was being responsible about this all - for a change. The clock only read that it was twenty minutes past the hour, most students wouldn't even be awake yet, unless they were eager to rise early. Teachers and other members of faculty, now that was a different story. From her experience, she had learned that for some bizarre reason, most adults possessed an urge to be pre-punctual normality. She didn't know why, even as a detective, she held much less enthusiasm to show up to the station. If it wasn't for having Dyson hounding her for work and assistance then she probably wouldn't bother to appear half of the time. A dutiful valkyrie working through paperwork was a thought that made her frustration boil.

Her credentials were greater that everyone inside the 39th Division combined.

"So, you and BoBo spent the night together," Kenzi clicked her tongue, stating the obvious as the high school came into the near distance, "what did you two crazy kids get up to, hm?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes at the clear insinuation, a grin was pasted over her lips and she shook her head, "if we had gotten 'up to' anything then you wouldn't have slept with the noise. We just rested together."

"How much sleep did you get, having Bo snuggling into you and all?"

"Not a wink." The valkyrie couldn't have been quicker to comment back. She was putting a lot of her concentration onto traveling into the desolate grounds of the school. "But I healed her, so there's that."

"You healed her and didn't want to bang her? When did you suddenly become so courteous?"

"Oh, I never said I was courteous, I just enjoy teasing her. I knew exactly what she wanted and I didn't give it to her." Tamsin smirked as she pulled the vehicle into an empty space, she then switched off the engine, however, she didn't leave straight away. Her hands were gripping lightly against the wheel and she paid a small look across to Kenzi, "as thrilled as I am to talk about your best friend, we have important business to get on with."

"Right, catching the creepy Fae and all that," the girl spoke as though she had been able to predict that this discussion would crop up before they left for the school, "do you have any idea on who it could be?"

"I like to suspect everyone Kenzi, that way, I'm always going to be prepared," the blonde undone the seat belt and then opened the door, preparing to step out of the truck, "we should split up."

The Russian girl had followed a similar tactic, departing from the vehicle afterwards, she closed the door, narrowing her eyes, "seriously? That is a classic horror-movie mistake. People always split up...and only one of them comes back alive."

"Don't tell me you're frightened." Again, the valkyrie's instincts to take a gibe had kicked in. She could sense that the younger female was anxious, no matter what lie she planned on giving.

"Ha, yeah, right. I just didn't want _you_ to panic, that's all. I'm totally cool with walking around the school on my own."

As Tamsin gave an unpersuaded nod, she twirled her keys around her index finger and stepped away from the vehicle in order to begin approaching the quiet building. The girl was close behind her, walking with less confidence in comparison. Her paranoia wasn't foolish, but it was an emotion that the valkyrie simply couldn't share. They had as many contrasts as they did similarities. For instance, Kenzi was sly, stealthy and skill-based, whereas Tamsin was forward, powerful and lethal.

It could be said that they were a duo of brain and brawn.

However, that didn't work considering that Tamsin believed she held a mix of vast intelligence and physical prowess.

"Uh, Tammers, what exactly I am going to be looking for in here?" Kenzi asked when they had made it to the front door, she watched at the valkyrie grasped the handle, hauling it open. It made reality sink in. Maybe there was no reason to be worried, maybe there was. It was broad daylight, so that acted as the only means of a saving grace that they had.

"I want you to investigate the east side of the school, search the classrooms and the boiler room, see if you can find anything suspicious," the valkyrie had a solid plan in her mind as she ventured over the threshold, "and if you can, check the principal's office out."

"Okay, gotcha', where are you going to be? I mean, what will I do if trouble finds me?" Out of caution along, she had taken a gentle hold of the blonde's arm to stop them from parting ways so soon. She needed a clear head if she was going to tackle this situation properly.

And reassurance was a strong factor to keeping her cool.

The detective glance down to the smaller girl, noting the tension in her stance, "I'm going to snoop around the nurse's office and the remainder of the building. If something happens, just scream like a little girl, I'm sure you can pull that off."

"Tamsin," Kenzi pouted, tugging on her arm slightly.

"Alright, alright, just run as far and as fast as you can, even if that means you have to leave me behind."

"You might frustrate the hell out of me, but I'd never leave you on your own blondie."

"Now isn't the time to be facetious," Tamsin grinned as she brought both of her hands up to rest upon the female's shoulder, "all I'm saying is that survival is priority. There's no use in risking your life for someone else."

"Mannnnn, you're such a contradiction. You'd rush in to save your favorite love lady in a heartbeat and you know it."

"Kenzi," the detective strayed ever closer to growling.

"And that's my cue..." The Russian gave a sheepish chuckle as she scurried away from the blonde's hold. She turned herself around and started to wander along the long corridor, keeping her wits about her. It was rather eerie to be in the school with no students around, and they hadn't ran into any staff members either, however, someone had to be within the building, otherwise the door wouldn't have been unlocked.

The valkyrie kept a watch on the thief until she had disappeared from sight after rounding the corner at the end of the hallway, and with that, she too began to explore the other half of the building.

Of course she didn't know what she would be searching for, however, she had uncovered a lot of mysteries in the past, so surely this wouldn't be too grievous for her. Having Dyson here would have made life a lot easier, given the brute strength and sharp perception that he possessed, but she had been entrusted to get this job done by the male, so she wouldn't stop until she had succeeded. Lately, it seemed as though she was running a lot of errands for others. Healing Bo, saving Kenzi, accepting a mission from Dyson. When was it going to end? Over the course of the last excruciatingly long three days, she had barely slept and she didn't take time to properly recover from her own injuries. The fact that she committed an entire evening to having sex with the succubus hadn't helped much either. Surely Tamsin must have been a very stalwart woman to be awake right now. She wasn't the type to complain about discomfort - but that could be chalked up due to her ever present pride.

As she reached the nurses office, she didn't delay in opening the door and entering. The interior was accurate to the assumption she had made. There were a few cabinets, a computer desk, a makeshift bed for patients, as well as general medical equipment. Nothing major. This wasn't a hospital after all.

_'Everything is neat, I'll say that much,'_ she mused to herself as she strayed nearer to the desk. She brought her hand down to clasp the small drawer and pried it open. It held stationery and nothing of real importance, so she scrunched her nose and slid it shut again before moving to the second one below. The detective repeated the process and pulled it out, and this time she was met with a couple of notepads and a leatherbound journal. Her inquisitive eyes narrowed as she pulled the fashionable book out. "Well, what do we have here?"

She began to flip through the pages, eyeing the handwritten notes. The recent entries happened to detail the latest victim, therefore, Tamsin took a seat down onto the chair by the computer in order to submerge into the information with very little distractions. From what she was reading, most of the words scribbled described how the deceased boy has been acting 'strange' within the past week - and also how violent and demented he had become. Basically, there was no sense of hopefulness of positivity inscribed in the journal, because every case ended with the same conclusion. Death.

The next fifteen minutes must have been spent purely scanning through to find any connection between the victims, but there didn't happen to be anything. Well, nothing other than the fact that the teenagers were equally healthy. So, perhaps it meant that their hearts were stronger and more potent for the Fae. It was plausible. Tamsin disliked wasting her time with research, she would much rather prefer to skip it all and get straight into the fighting. It wasn't as if she could walk up to every single student within the building and interrogate them about their physical condition.

No, that would have been far too easy.

Deciding that there was nothing further she could gain from the journal, she placed it back into the drawer and rose from the chair. "Great," Tamsin sighed in annoyance as she made her way to the exit of the room, "just great," repeating the unenthusiastic mumble, she stepped into the hallway. But no sooner was she out of the room, her phone began to vibrate.

The valkyrie assumed that it would be the succubus, so she rummaged one hand into her jacket pocket and pulled the device out, bringing it to her ear. The call was answered instantaneously, "yeah?"

Her assumption was proven to be correct when her blunt approach received a response, "wow, are you always this friendly when you answer a call?" Bo asked, her voice as favorable as ever.

"I made an exception for you, I trust you have a reason for calling, or do you just pine after the sound of my voice?"

"Your voice, yes. But your sarcasm? Not so much," the brunette was chuckling lightly, "you'll want to kiss me when you figure out how much information I've gotten."

"That's awfully presumptuous of you, sweetheart," Tamsin may have relied on wit, but she didn't deny that she would engage in such an affection, "hit me with it."

Since they were getting down to business, Bo could be heard drawing in a deeper breath on the other end of the phone, "I managed to catch the mayor by the court house, so I spoke to him about the killings and the lack of security. Apparently, he says that he has it all under control."

"And...?"

"And that he is the one supposedly posting the officers around town to keep the area 'safe'."

"A mayor in full charge of the law? That isn't right." The blonde's eyebrows were knitting in confusion as she rested her back against the wall behind her.

"No kidding," Bo agreed, "but guess what? Do you remember when I told you that the station only has seven officers?"

"Yeah, it's hard to forget. What about it?"

"It turns out that they are all brothers...wanna take a wild swing as to who their father is?"

The information was so quick to click into the blonde's mind that she took less than two seconds to answer, "I'll be damned, it's the mayor right? Shit, I should've guessed. The bastard has total control."

"Exactly, he can keep the school open and lie to everyone about placing some pissy security around the streets."

"So I guess that means that we are dealing with a _family_ of Fae then, great. That explains why nothing is tight in this town, but why the hell would they target teenagers? Or the school?" The valkyrie was stumped as she tried to rake around in her mind for answers. All she could assume so far was that they had at least eight Fae on their hands. That being the mayor and his sons. They had probably been around for the past two or three centuries, hence why they were at the top of the chain in this town.

"Maybe the younger victims are better for them? I honestly can't answer that for you." Bo replied in a stubborn sympathy, she wished that she had more answers to give on the matter.

"Lets get this straight, some kid dies around town and the mayor fools everyone into thinking that he is 'doing something' when, in actual fact, it is probably one of his sons who is killing in the first place? Well, that's pretty screwed up. I've heard about this type of Fae through reputation, but I guessed that there would only be a couple in existence. Not a damn handful."

"What are we going to do? If we kill one of them, we're just going to annoy the rest and to tell you the truth, they are pretty tough. My ribs were cracked last night within seconds, and that was from one attack." The succubus' tone shone with a growing concern now, which was reasonable.

"Look, just get yourself back to the house. I'll find Kenzi and we'll rendezvous there, then we'll come up with a plan. Don't do anything stupid, Bo."

"Same goes to you."

Tamsin felt a slight grin cross her lips as she disconnected from the phonecall. She slipped the item back into the pocket of her waistcoat and made her way around the corner. However, destiny had another plan, because she ended up colliding into someone else which initially caused her to groan in irritation, but when she found her balance, she squinted her eyes and looked ahead to find out that it was the guidance counselor. A woman, red haired, and green eyed. "Pardon me."

The other middle aged woman shook her head, offering a neutral smile, "oh no, it was my fault dear, I wasn't paying attention. You're the history teacher, are you not?"

"That's what they call me, yes," the valkyrie may have sounded a tad impatient to begin with, but she soon realized that this female may have been able to give her some more insight, "say, you were the one who gave council to the deceased teenagers, weren't you? I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about that."

"Well, you're awfully inquisitive for a teacher, aren't you?" The female gave a light chuckle as she directed her hand out to her office along the hall, she proceeded to walk, indicating for the blonde to follow.

"Call it parental concern, I don't want my daughter to have to be afraid of coming to school," the detective commended her quick ability to create lies on the spot. She was walking behind, giving a sidewards glance to see that the utility closest was passed by, the same one which the boy's body had been found in yesterday, although it was cleaned up now. This case was beginning to confuse the hell out of her, mainly because she had so much to consider, such as the sudden 'craziness' that affected the victims, as well as this new information involving the mayor. Once she stepped into the office, she closed the door behind. "I heard that the kids were acting weird right before they died, why?"

The counselor's eyebrow raised, as though she was surprised to be asked something so blunt, "there are many causes, pressure, drugs, problems at home."

"Still, it's a little too abrupt, don't you think? How did they act when you spoke to them?" Tamsin pressed as forwardly as she could.

"I...they were fine, distant, but fine."

"Fine? From what I've reviewed, they were detailed to be aggressive toward the nurse and the other students around."

"I'm not sure why that would be, maybe I have a kinder attitude to them? They need someone to confide in, someone who will do nothing more than listen."

The blonde gave a small nod, crossing her arms over as she began to pace casually around the room. She wasn't thinking clearly, mainly because she was too conflicted over every other subject in her mind. However, her eyes gazed across some of the books on the shelf, and then passed over a photograph. She thought nothing of it at first, "that might be true," her sentence came to an untimely hesitation when she gave another look over the picture. It was a group one, involving the woman, a man...and oh, look, seven other males who appeared much younger.

Seven sons.

A father.

And...

"Oh, shit, _you _are mommy dearest," the realization hit Tamsin so quickly - but not half as quick as she was to spin around.

All of a sudden she could see that a very conniving smirk had overridden the other woman's previous smile of innocence and sincerity, "for a history teacher, you should really mind your own business."

"This is my business. You're the Fae, aren't you?" As the valkyrie began to get her caution around her, she started to step away from the shelf, a frown on her features as she eyed the female.

"Ding, another point to the blonde. You are very good at guessing, aren't you?"

"Call it a gift. I hope you and your family have enjoyed snacking on this town for the past two hundred years, because it ends here." Tamsin was seemingly declaring an open brawl already, now that she had a confession and she had a clear culprit - why hesitate? She was in a tense stance. An offensive one.

Oddly, the woman opposite looked less stiff, she kept a smart grin on her lips, crossing her arms over her chest, "I don't appreciate a little blonde threatening my boys like that."

"Then how about a valkyrie threatening them?" In the next second, the blonde had guided her hand to the hem of her skirt, brushing up to her thigh. Trust her to come prepared, she had a blade holstered around the top of her leg should she need to use it. And right now, she did.

Grasping at the handle, she drew the weapon out and made a surge forward, twisting her arm in a violent slash for the female's chest.

Because she sure as hell didn't plan on playing nice.

Only, the hit never made impact. Tamsin's eyes became wide when she saw that the other woman had caught the steel blade at the last possible second, "you're going to have to do better than that, _valkyrie_," the words left in a cold voice and an abrupt 'snap' echoed as the knife was broken into two pieces.

The unexpected strength that this particular Fae possessed had caught the detective by surprise. And then, she found that the speed was just as bad, because in the following moment, the woman's palm crashed straight into her solar plexus. The sheer force, sent Tamsin staggering violently into the bookcase behind her. Breathing had suddenly become a sharp struggle seeing as the air was just squashed from her lungs. She was gasping, clutching her hand to her chest. Bo hadn't been lying when she said that a single attack had wielded colossal power to it.

"Come on, come on, come on, I thought you were here to end this." The counselor continued to mock as she closed the distance, discarding the broken weapon to the ground. When near, she aimed to thrust a punch forward.

It was just unfortunate that Tamsin had willed her body to lean to one side. Her gaze was still as stunned when she felt the small air brush past her cheek as the female's fist hit into the wooden frame of the shelf, crashing directly threw it as though it was water.

If it had been her face in the way, no doubt her jaw would've been broken. The valkyrie closed her fist and brought her hand into the woman's stomach with a repleted power. And when it had done slight significance, she tried to do the same again. Only, this time her curled hand was captured within the female's.

"My, aren't you the persistent one?" The woman's grin was cheshire-like as she began to crush down against the blonde's fingers and palms, even to the point where the wrist was going to strain from the pressure also.

Tamsin's teeth were clenching, but she refused to cry out, "shut up," she hissed angrily and used her available arm in order to swing her elbow into the redhead's cheek. It was enough to jut the woman's face to the side, but unfortunately, she barely budged where distance was concerned. The blonde didn't want to leave any chances so she cracked at her jaw again with a similar attack. The skin on her own flesh was hurting with the force she was using.

As with most things in her life, the irony never ceased. She had specifically given orders to run if there was trouble - yet she was too big headed to listen to her own advice.

Before she could land in another hit, the female reacted and gripped her tight by the throat, hauling her up until her feet were dangling on the floor. "You honestly think you can win? That's adorable."

When the grip began to strengthen, Tamsin was left fighting for the urge to continue breathing, because the passageway down her throat was being constricted. She didn't doubt that her neck could be snapped like a twig, and it bothered her to no end.

"My family have survived for a long time. We've killed Fae and human alike, so what makes you think that you ever stood a chance?" The question was asked, but no answer was allowed to be given. The woman released her hold, but nothing was ever simple, for in the following second she performed some agile form of a roundhouse kick, slamming her foot directly into Tamsin's side. She could only watch through a victorious gaze as the impact sent the stubborn blonde crashing through the office door; her body hitting the floor on the other side. "Oops, I guess I used a little too much power."

The valkyrie was less concerned about responding and more panicked by the way that her body felt as though it had just been hit by a train. She really didn't feel as though she could move a single muscle. And to make matters worse, she heard the steps from the woman.

However, that wasn't half as horrible as hearing a voice at the opposite end of the hallway was, "oh, crapballs!"

_Kenzi_, of course it was.

She was the only other person within the building right now.

More than ever Tamsin's concern set in, "Kenzi, get the hell out of here," she groaned painfully as she attempted to push herself onto her hands and knees, at the very least.

"Well, well, and just who do we have here?" As the redhead stepped out of the office, she wiped down the front of her attire, shooting a deceptive look along the other end of the hall, to the younger female. "Ah, yes, the girl faking to be your daughter. I bet she has a delicious heart."

The thief's eyes grew wide and self-consciously she brought one hand to cover over her own chest, "you're the Fae!? The damn counselor!?"

"And she's clever too, imagine that," the female rolled her eyes, noticing the way that the fallen detective was trying to get up, but she focused more on the human, "say, kid, why don't you come over her? Hm? Let me get a better look at you."

"Yeah right, so you can make me all crazy and eat my valuable heart? No freakin' way!"

"Oh, I can assure you my mind tricks make the game more fun. Breaking a person's sanity renders them helpless and dangerous all at once. It gives me full control over them, why do you think these students didn't scream out? I made them _want_ to die."

"You're one sick bitch who needs to get put down," Kenzi's own heart was beating frantically when she saw that the woman was beginning to walk towards her, "Tamsin! Tamsin, get up!" she pleaded as she started to back away.

The blonde, with borrowed energy, stumbled up to her feet, although she nearly swayed. Reaching into the other pocket of her jacket, she pulled out the keys to her truck and hurled them across the hall, across to her friend. "Drive as fast as you can." A fleeting relief coursed through her when she saw that the girl had caught the item, but it was the reluctance that caused her to enforce her order, "go!"

"Tamsin, I-"

"Just get yourself out of here, find the succubus," the valkyrie rushed a couple of steps ahead and gripped a strong hold of the Fae's arm, yanking her around. She was buying time while the Russian girl made a run for it. Each second counted. "I'm not dead yet, we have a fight to finish."

The counselor was giving a half hearted look across her shoulder as Kenzi reached the door - to her it was as though she was watching a meal escape. "Then consider it finished," her response could have been ambiguous, were it not for the fact that she put all of her attention forward - and in one swift strike, she used the back of her hand to whack Tamsin across the jaw.

Sufficed to say, she had knocked the lights right out. The valkyrie's body was jolted straight into the set of lockers, making quite the dent into the metal. It was evidence of how much power was packed behind an attack that may have not appeared like much. Tamsin was on the ground in the next instant. Unlike before, she was limp, void of all consciousness, and it barely appeared as though she was going to spring back up in the next minute or so. The redhead stepped over to where she lay, staring down, "not to worry, I won't kill you, yet, oh no, I'll leave you with a nice little surprise." The words came to an end and the woman made a simple turn around and paced along the corridor - intending to leave the building to pursue Kenzi.

As to this spoken of 'surprise', it would be nothing good.

* * *

While the next hour or two had passed by, the blonde lay face down on the cold tiled floor. Her only reason for stirring was due to the oncoming feeling of someone nudging her shoulder. The voice calling out to her was inaudible, it's muffling was making her head pound worse than any hangover imaginable. Her skull was on fire and if it wasn't for being alive, she'd have sworn that her brain had exploded. Then there was the next problem, every time she breathed her chest became so tight, as though there was an elephant standing on it. _'Shit...I really got my ass handed to me.'_ Disappointment was the first thought to flow through her agonizing mind, even before she had made an attempt to open her eyes. But, when she did, she found that it was painful to adjust to the bright lights above, as well as she blurry image of a figure hovering over her. She prayed that it was Bo, but again, she was sorely let down when her vision balanced itself out. It was just the nurse. Teenagers were grouped around, gasping and gossiping in hushes to one another.

_'Kids...oh my god, Kenzi!'_ Finally, worry entered the equation. Tamsin ignored whatever babbling was coming from the medical professional. She bit down on her cheek to suppress whining as she started to pick herself up from the floor. Even though the nurse was advising against it, she persisted anyway. When standing semi-straight, she felt warm blood trickle down her left temple, trailing down her eyebrow, coming close to hitting the iris, although she avoided it by wiping the area with the back of her sleeve.

The white sleeve which was now coated crimson.

"Out of my way," furious was an understatement as to how the valkyrie was currently feeling, she was rough when she tugged away from the concerning nurse, "I don't need anyone's help." And now she was snapping viciously as she began to stagger along the corridor, using the wall as a means of support whenever she came near to toppling to the floor. Whenever any other staff members even dared to approach her, she would shoot them a glare, as though to warn them that she'd rip their arm off and beat them to death with it if they didn't stop. More or less, she was hobbling through the mobs of students, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. The only kid she cared about wasn't even in the building.

Yes, she could have just mentioned that the counselor was the killer - but she was arrogant. She wanted a rematch _and_ she wanted to win. If anyone else got involved then it would only spoil her revenge.

Once Tamsin had made it outside, she searched around to see whether or not her truck was parked in the lot.

Thankfully it was gone, which meant that Kenzi must have gotten back to the house. Good, now she just needed to get there herself. She clutched one hand to her side, not unlike the way that Bo had done the night beforehand. They had something else in common, it appeared. The valkyrie was less complaining about it though, she was too enraged that she tried to wait out the torturous pain. Her main purpose was to get to the others, so she began to walk - or rather, limp - for the tedious ten minute journey that she knew it was going to take. The time would do nothing more than let her worries fester inside of her own mind. What if something terrible had happened? She hated to admit it, but she hadn't been strong enough to defeat the Fae. And now that she knew there was about eight of them to deal with, it just felt like too much for anyone to burden. She couldn't have escaped - as a normal person would have done. No, no, she had to stay and pick a battle.

A battle which had cost her dearly given that she hardly felt as though she was keeping herself together. If it wasn't physically impossible then she was sure that her body would have fallen apart already. Her life cycle wasn't as fruitful as it used to be. She was becoming an old doll that could break easily and that thought was poison to her brain. Warriors were never supposed to fall.

And heroes never failed either, so it only proved that she didn't qualify to that category. By losing today, she had let herself down and she had let her two female companions down, whether they would ever admit to it or not.

Somewhere toward the end of the journey, Tamsin guessed it must have been around nine o'clock, seeing as how a lot of people appeared to be rushing around; if they weren't too busy giving concerned glances her way and asking if she was 'alright'. Her automatic response was to say yes and get it over with, the idea of having others wallow over her made her want to vomit. Being seen as weak was just another point on the list of the things that she hated. Luckily though, when she reached the driveway to the house, she could forget about all of that. First and foremost, she saw that her vehicle was parked squint, with a couple of bullet holes in the body and several dents in the hood. "Christ..." It was the only word to fall from her lips because she had no clue as to what had happened during the period in which she had been knocked unconscious within the school grounds. She assumed that Kenzi must have been chased by the police. The Fae police, that was.

Tamsin sped up the last few steps and shoved the front door open so harshly that it could have broken from it's hinges. From what she could see, the hallway looked a mess. The art work on the walls was bashed in, and an ornament or two had been knocked over. All of which was proof of a struggle. "Kenzi!? Bo!?" She called out in a blind panic as she closed the door behind her.

No answer was given within five seconds, which caused her battered heart to swell, but then it tamed when she heard a coy, "Hey Tammy," from the top of the stairs.

She snapped her sights immediately to the noise and saw the succubus leaning over the bannister at the top, wearing a small grin, which was highly questionable when considering that the danger was all around. "Bo?" It didn't take much for the blonde to begin ascending the steps, beating back sharp winces whenever the battered muscles and bones in her body yelled out at her, "are you alright? Where is Kenzi?"

When reaching the top, she required to hold against the wooden railing as an extra form of support while her eyes scanned the brunette up and down, there were a couple of visible injuries, "what happened?"

"Oh, everything is fine," the succubus was uncharacteristically calm as she ran her index finger along the surface of the bannister, she took a step closer to the valkyrie, "we don't have to worry about Kenzi right now."

Well, with that being said, Tamsin knew that something was definitely _wrong_, "that's not much of an answer," she was gritting her teeth, being bothered slightly with the way that the distance was becoming less and less existent, "Bo, you're acting..." Before finishing her own sentence, it did suddenly click to her, "you're acting strange. Damn it, did you have a run-in with a redhead? What did she do to you? Did she take Kenzi?"

Instead of a casual reply, the brunette lunged forward, shoving the detective up against the wall. She grappled at her wrists and pinned them both above her head. Even though the valkyrie had groaned and struggled, it hadn't been enough to break her free. "Kenzi, Kenzi, KENZI! That's all I hear from you! Does that girl mean more to you than I do?" Bo was looking rather het up throughout her lashing words.

"She is your best friend and our enemy wants to kill her, if you were _yourself_ then you'd be racing off to save her," the blonde was tugging at her forearms, but it was no use, the brunette's hold was a solid as a vice.

"I just want you, Tamsin," the succubus moved in and spontaneously ran her tongue up the valkyrie's left cheek, all the way to her temple. She was able to taste the fresh blood that had trailed from the small gash in the side of her head and let out a gratifying moan, "I want you in every way imaginable."

The blonde was speechless, she scolded herself for the growing wave of arousal that was spurring inside of her, but she had immense willpower, she could fight it down. She knew that she could. _'Oh shit, I've got a wacko succubus who wants me...'_ she assumed it was a bad thing, because she could handle anything in the world, but this was new to her. "Damn it, I should've known this would happen."

"Aren't you going to tell me that you want me too?" Bo seemed to carry impatience to her question while she grazed her teeth back down the female's cheek, scraping firmly over the skin, "it's only polite."

"Bo, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you are out of your fucking mind," the valkyrie was hindered at the end of her response when she felt the succubus reach her neck, but then she suddenly stopped. She had just said the wrong thing, hadn't she? A dead silence loomed over and it was only broken when she heard how harsh the brunette's breathing had become. Bo's right hand came loose and connected in a sharp slap against the detective's jaw. It was sore enough to make Tamsin's skull thrash around and she could taste blood on her bottom lip.

"You aren't being kind, Tammy, " the brunette grabbed at the blonde's chin, tugging her head back around to the front, but seeing the new crimson caused her to change her antics, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Bo moved both of her hands to clutch against either side of the valkyrie's face, "you just made me angry," she pouted and hovered her lips across Tamsin's, "don't do that again."

The detective officially had no clue on how to predict the brunette; all she knew was that whatever crazy Fae magic the counselor had worked on those students, she had also worked on Bo. And her cheek stung. The succubus wasn't in control of her own actions or reactions for that matter. This enemy was obviously just playing a twisted game, taking Kenzi and leaving the dismantled woman behind.

"Bo, listen to me, you've been caught under the same hex of insanity that the victims have all suffered from, if we find Kenzi and the Fae then maybe it can be reversed," Tamsin was back to groaning when her words were ignored, the succubus grabbed at her white blouse and recklessly tore it open; the buttons scattering here, there and everywhere. "What are you doing!?"

"Mm, we've been at this foreplay nonsense for days now, I'm done waiting," the succubus curled her hands tightly around the open blouse and marched backwards, yanking the valkyrie with her to the bedroom, even despite the protests, "I've got it bad for you, and you've got it bad for me, lets cut all of the bullshit inbetween."

"This isn't the best time, I really think that you should-" Tamsin yelped midway through her retaliation when Bo's left hand traveled south, a little too close to home. By the time she made an attempt to resist, she found that she was too late. Already she was being pushed onto the mattress.

"I've wanted to ravish you ever since I saw you in this teacher get-up," the succubus smirked as she took a hold of the blonde's ankles, slipping the heeled shoes straight off - then carelessly tossing them somewhere over her shoulder, "one way or another, I'm going to have you."

Tamsin had never seen the brunette this forward before, of course it was because her sanity was away somewhere else, but still, it was worth caution and excitement. "Hold on," the blonde mumbled as she scurried to her feet, standing on the mattress, she pointed down at Bo, "I don't want to be caught in a sex game by a crazy succubus. You're out of your mind."

The brunette's gaze held a predatory hunger as she looked the valkyrie up and down, "scared, detective? Afraid that I'll be too much for you to handle?"

"Bo, my body feels like it has been hit by a train, or twelve, Kenzi is missing, you can't be trusted right now, and who is left saving the day again? _ME_." Now the blonde was pointing back at herself, she narrowed her eyes, preparing to step back when the succubus had crawled onto the bed. Not that she could, no, typically, the woman grabbed her blouse and hauled her down - until she had no choice but to fall onto her lap, straddling her.

Talk about awkward positions, especially at a time like this.

The succubus looped her arms tightly around the blonde's waist, being sure to keep her from scampering away, "you are adorable when you are helpless," she spoke seductively, drawing her lips to the female's collarbone, "delicious, actually."

_Helpless._ Now that was a term that made the valkyrie growl lowly in the back of her throat, "I am **not** helpless."

"Prove it."

Those two words managed to ignite directly into the blonde's haughtiness, all she could think about was making a point. Her left hand seized a sudden hold of Bo's hair and she lugged her nearer until their lips had made an urgent collision.

Playing with a demented succubus was like trying to touch fire without getting burned, she knew that much.

The brunette's needy reciprocation startled her; Bo was gluttonous as she took Tamsin's bottom lip within her teeth, sinking down until she had pierced the flesh. Only then did she commence into a deeper kiss, pushing her tongue into the valkyrie's mouth, making sure that they both shared the taste of blood. Judging by the muffled groan, it had been effective.

Within seconds, the blonde was being lowered back to lie on the bed, with the other woman clambering on top of her, the contact between their lips was just as ferocious. Bo would brush her tongue mercilessly against Tamsin's, however, Tamsin would counter the movement with strong thrashes of her own.

Both of them were gushing moans and they hadn't even really delved into anything too intense yet.

That issue was soon resolving itself as the succubus made short work of finally pulling the torn blouse from the blonde's torso. Her hands were fondling all across the tender flesh, even the bruised areas, but she didn't care for consideration. It just appeared to get a rise from the valkyrie. Her own shirt was now targeted and ripped open, similarly, she assisted the female in getting it off by letting it slip down her shoulders.

In spite of how wrecked the valkyrie felt, she ignored that pain and listened to lust instead. Her fingers lowered and undone the button at the top of Bo's trousers, and as before she began to tug them down from the waistband. It must have looked like some frantic strip race, due to the way that the succubus was also divesting her of her skirt. In the end, they had pulled either article of clothing off at an equal time - which left them both in their undergarments.

The succubus pressed in and ravaged Tamsin's neck with her unsated lips, she was biting and grazing in all the ways that made the female squirm beneath her. Whenever she had engaged in sexual activities in the past, she was prone to being thorough, although, on this occasion, she was acting from pure instinct, a little like an animal that desired to own it's mate. Her mouth blanketed over the blonde's pulse point, sucking roughly at the flesh.

"Shit..." Tamsin forced her eyes to shut tightly as a throaty moan escaped from her, she ran her fingers through the brunette's locks, entangling desperately. One side of her neck felt both bruised and numb with the onslaught of Bo's charged kisses. Her hands were groping and pinching possessively over any area of skin they touched against. The valkyrie jerked when an injury was pressed on too firmly. It was another reminder that the succubus wasn't herself.

She was_ too_ ruthless.

And that happened to be intoxicating, it was wrong for Tamsin to even indulge in this moment, but then again...when did she ever consider herself as a 'responsible' figure?

It was a mess. All she had wanted was Bo. And, though insane, Bo wanted her too.

Before she let any more time of submission pass, she nudged the succubus over, rolling on top of her to reverse the positions. "As if I'm going to let you have all of the control," she moved her hands to the female's bra, intending to remove it. Bo was only too eager to help. In fact, she was even devoted enough to also shift her pelvis in order to allow her underwear to be extracted from her, when the time came.

"Come on, valkyrie, skin for skin," the succubus purred as she too raised her hands to shred the remaining attire from the blonde. The bra was pried off, and the panties were yanked, pulled and thrown aside soon after. When her eyes were able to drink in the full view of the now-nude female above her, her irises were on the edge to flickering blue. She swung her legs up and around Tamsin's waist, locking her ankles together firmly.

"I'm going to hell for this," the detective told herself, it felt like a sin that she was so attracted to the unstable female, but she couldn't fend off temptation forever. She guided her left hand down to Bo's legs, clutching her core in a perfectly tight cup. It was enough to make the brunette gasp and rock her hips up, creating more friction. Tamsin repaid the cooperation by grinding the ball of her palm into her sensitive clitoris; if this love making was going to be a battle, she would take no prisoners.

Bo was clinging onto the valkyrie, with both her arms and legs, grunting and groaning pleasurably, "oh, yes," her noises were enough to send a rush of want through the blonde, the raw sexual energy becoming twenty times as potent, "take me, Tamsin, I want to feel you everywhere."

It became apparent that the detective had a problem with resisting the succubus. Sure, she could put it off a day or so, but in the end, the two of them always ended up tearing up the sheets. A buzz of heat pooled through her body when she listened to the female's pleading tone. She guided two digits along the female's folds and then, with an abrupt jolt, she drove them inside of her.

"Oh, god!" Bo cried out, arching, as she was met with the harder motion, her fingernails dug into Tamsin's shoulderblades, breaking the first layer of skin. Her hips were bucking in rhythm with the solid thrusting of the valkyrie's digits, and blissful moans ran from her mouth when she felt how wild her body was being treated. Her original plan had been to take advantage over the blonde, but she didn't mind being owned herself. Not when the pleasure was so scorching inside of her.

Tamsin curled her fingers, plunging in harsh mannerisms, she knew how to reach the delicate spots inside of the succubus, she could make her groin clench. As a lover, she desired to understand how her paramour's body worked. Seemingly, it had paid off, she heard Bo gasp louder and more than that, she felt the constant clawing down her spine. The flesh was broken, and the succubus' hands and fingers were making trails of blood. It didn't cause much agony, if anything, it amazed her to see how 'out of sorts' the brunette was acting. She chafed her teeth along her neck, nipping and marking the skin.

The succubus was being put through her paces when the valkyrie's fingers delved particularly harsh, her muscles were beginning to ache with the way she was always rocking her hips into the thrusts. Her clitoris was being tended to by the blonde's palm - and it felt like hellfire in paradise. Heavenly, but with a much needed burn to it. Her body began to quiver, a light sweat building as she ground harder, needing to hit that point of release. "Oh, OH!"

If the neighbors next door heard this then it wouldn't be a total shock, Bo didn't even try to tame the volume on her vocal range, when she reached her orgasm, it rushed through her like an intense tidal wave of ecstasy. She became tense, crying out a prayer-like, "Tamsin!", the woman's thrusts were astute to ride her through her climax, so it wasn't surprising that she doubled into drawing out a second release. Her limbs were trembling, her tormented mind away on cloud nine. By the time it had taken for reality to actually home in once more, she was panting heavily, sinking back onto the mattress. Her almost lethal hold onto the valkyrie lessened until she was caressing over the flesh she had been scratching so violently.

In the aftermath of the activity, Tamsin could feel the light stinging down her spine, as well as the dozen other aches and bruises that were scattered over her. The things she done for her pride...

She considered pulling back, yet, she refrained from doing so when Bo had taken a hold of her wrist. Unsure of what to expect, she stayed curious and watched as the succubus guided her hand to her mouth.

"Mmm, you're a real wolf in the sheets, aren't you?" The brunette took the blonde's index finger into her lips, running her tongue along the flesh, able to taste herself. She gave a prolonged moan, looking at the heated valkyrie through a set of heavy-lidded eyes.

"In case it has escaped your notice, I'm much stronger than any wolf." That was all Tamsin had the chance to say, as in the next second, her finger was released and she was pulled down for yet another relentless kiss. She could taste Bo and gave a groan of approval as she roved her tongue in her mouth. The woman's hands were on her shoulders and she was being maneuvered over until it was now her own back that was pressed to the bed.

Bo had finally regained the dominance, and when she broke the connection of their lips, she was kissing her way to the valkyrie's ear, "I hope you enjoyed your control while it lasted," she whispered, darkly, "because I am going to screw your brains out."

The promise alone made the blonde's breathing become irregular, she found that Bo had taken a hold of her right leg, guiding her thigh to drape over her hip, "I've said it once, I'll say it again, you're quite the dreamer, aren't you?" Tamsin's cocky question earned her a small bite down the side of her throat. On instinct, she grasped at the brunette's sides.

"Now, now, there'll be less of that," Bo warned and took a hold of the blonde's wrists, pinning them above her head. She used only one hand to keep them restrained, and slid her other down the front of the valkyrie's body, "we both know that you crave my touch," as she ventured below Tamsin's groin, she pushed the pad of her thumb into her clitoris, starting to rub harsh circles against the sensitive skin, "in fact, I'd say you crave it right _here._"

Feeling the pressure into her sweet spots caused the valkyrie to moan, her hips were unconsciously trying to press up into the contact, and she gave a tug at her forearms. The restrain frustrated her, but it turned her on to a larger extent.

"I want you to tell me that you're mine Tamsin - that you belong to me, and _only_ me," the succubus made bittersweet demands into the shell of the detective's ear, "and that you would be nothing without me."

Before Tamsin's lips had even parted, the phone at the bedside counter had began to jingle, causing her eyes to widen.

What unfortunate timing.

As she tilted her head to the left, she noticed that it was the succubus' phone, and more specifically, that the caller identity screened Lauren's name.

"God, what a kill joy," Bo huffed, but oddly, she was smirking, "I'll deal with this, not to worry," she released her hold onto Tamsin's wrists and reached across for the device. When picking it up she answered, bringing it to her ear, "hey, can you stop calling for once in your life?"

_'Oh...shoot'_ the blonde's eyes were wide, because she knew that if Bo was in her right mind then she would _never_ have handled the call like that. Not to the doctor of all people.

"I'm too busy to talk at the moment," the succubus continued, giving a breathless chuckle, "that's silly actually, I'm going to be busy for a _long_ time, since you want some lame ass break, I've decided that my interests lay elsewhere. Au revoir." The conversation lasted little more than ten seconds. The brunette threw the device across the room so hard that it shattered against the wall; falling into several irreparable pieces on the floor. "Now, where were we..."

"Bo-" Tamsin was partially lost for words, "-you do realize that you just cut away from your girlfriend?"

"So?" The brunette couldn't see the problem, she didn't waste time to reform back to holding the valkyrie's wrists above her head. "You're the one that I want to be with, can't you see that?"

The valkyrie wasn't sure whether the insanity was effecting Bo, or if it simply made her fully honest. Either way, she wasn't going to complain. "Well, I'm just-"

Bo silenced the blonde by crashing their lips together, she wasn't keen on talking about something that she held no current care for. All she desired was to make the woman underneath her writhe in a torturous ecstasy. She continued to circle her thumb against her clitoris, and while doing so, she ran three of her fingers lower, and slipped each digit inside of her.

It surprised her to feel how tight the valkyrie was, so she gave her a moment to adjust, grinning when the kiss had been broken due to a deep moan, "I never knew that I aroused you this much," she teased, aware of how moist the blonde had become from all of the stimulation so far.

As soon as the thrusting began, Tamsin was pulling at her wrists, trying to free herself from the constriction. Bo was using so much force that the wooden headboard of the bed was banging into the wall. She couldn't fight the urge to arch her pelvis into the oncoming ministrations, the succubus was hitting all of the unbidden nerves and she was reduced to a mindless spree of moans and obscenities, "Mmm, Bo... yes..."

She was going to have a hard time when it came to explaining why her rescue mission for Kenzi was delayed.

It was just that, Bo was a mistress of seduction and as of lately, she happened to be a contrast to her usual tame self. Even if Tamsin had wanted to raise up a fight, she would've only been putting off the inevitable. She wasn't physically capable. Not right now, anyway.

With luck, she slid one arm free and coiled it straight around the succubus' neck. As before, her fingers were clutching at her hair, intertwining in the soft brunette locks. Her heart was thundering in her chest. Pleasure was starting to coil and build inside of her and she could feel that her peak was arriving at an astonishing pace. She could already feel the tremors as it came nearer and nearer.

"I want you to come for me, Tamsin," Bo's voice had taken a softer turn, one of pleading, "_for me_," she emphasized, locking her fingers together with the female's hand that she still had pinned down against the pillow.

The words were the last encouragement that the valkyrie needed until she was pushed over the edge. She gripped strongly onto the succubus' hand, which was a sign that her release was overwhelming her. The rocking of her hips had become a strained action against Bo's perilous thrusting and she was too breathless to even cry out, so she was restoring to sharp gasps, repeating the same name over, and over again.

Bo took another chance and closed the gap between their lips. She might have first initiated a kiss, but it transformed into a small feeding session as she began to draw out some of her beloved's rare Chi. It was always proven to be at the highest level during a person's most blissful state.

And it was official: Tamsin could no longer form a coherent thought.

Her natural high was extended with the way that the succubus was choosing to pull some energy from her. She feared that she may end up passing out from the lack of a break, but then again, she would never show herself to be that 'weak'.

When the brunette was taking longer than anticipated, the valkyrie gave a small tug against her hair, and that seemed to do the trick. Bo stopped herself, her eyes were flashing cobalt and she happened to wear a grin of deliriousness. "Mmm, you're such a good girl to me, Tamsin," she spoke in a singsong voice, physically adoring the rundown female underneath her, "_my_ Tamsin," the succubus added as she stroked her fingertips along the inside of the blonde's thigh, after having retracted them.

"...I aim to please," the valkyrie mumbled breathlessly, attempting to lean up, "now I really need to save Kenzi, and then I need to get you back to normal." She assumed that it was going to be as straightforward as she had just described, but that was before Bo suddenly pushed her back down.

"And who said that I was going to let you go?" The brunette's brow was kinked, the conniving smirk still making her look beautifully manic. "Forget about everything else, you have me."

"Bo..." Tamsin said, unsure, "...you don't know what you're saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying," the succubus was lowering her body so that she was pressing firmly into the valkyrie's, "besides, that was just the warm-up."

"What? You're not serious?" The blonde soon received an answer when she felt that Bo's hips were steadily, and slowly, gyrating into her own, "ohhh, you are serious..."

How in the world was she going to get herself out of this?

Now she understood why the Fae had made a crack in Bo's sanity - having her here all obsessive and lustful was the perfect diversion tactic.  
Only at the last possible second did Tamsin realize that this must have been a distraction. Although, kudos, because it was damn good. However, she needed to focus and save Kenzi.

As to how she was going to escape the sex driven succubus, she was still working on that.

* * *

I would've gotten that chapter up sooner, but I promised you steaminess so I had to add some Valkubus action, so heads up, if you're reading the last part in a crowded room, shield the screen! xD

So, everything is in a state of hopelessness right now, Kenzi has been captured - by a family of heart eating Fae. Bo has been affected by some craziness (and a darker obsession with Tammy, yay!) and Tamsin herself is going to be dealing with the world's problems all over again AND she just doesn't catch a break. She's definitely going to want to kick some major Fae ass! c';

I loved writing the contrasts, like, Tamsin not wanting anything to happen to Bo - and then everything happens. And the fact that she warned the girls to run if there was trouble and boasted that she was too tough to get defeated, only to get herself knocked out in the school. What can I say, I'm a sucker for irony and tragedy. AND THEN BO JUST HUNG UP ON LAUREN!?

P.s, did y'all notice how tender and caring Bo was in the start? But then, being a tad insane, she was wild at the end. I know what you're thinking, "she isn't completely crazy right now", well just wait until the next chapter, *wink*

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! And if that confused the hell out of you, then I apologize, but I felt the need to add a twist. ;)

(Reviews! Yass!)

_ThomasinaL_ - Oh, wow, that's a very good question. I would hope that she doesn't lose her memories, because it would be so tragic if she forgot Bo. Like my heart would just break. I think that she'll keep her memories though, because she seems to be able to recall that she can end a battle in the blink of an eye and things like that. Maybe it's just her soul/spirit that needs to get renewed. I'm not entirely sure, but I can't wait to find out! xD  
How about yourself? Did you have any theories about how the end of her life cycle might work? c':

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Haha, you're right, Tamsin really isn't great when it comes to creating these excuses. ;D  
I love me some cat and mouse with Valkubus!  
Kenzi is just always in the wrong place, at the wrong time. The poor, poor girl. x]

_shannon1419_ - Well thank you, my dear! I'd have updated sooner but I wanted to input a little more Valkubus action at the end. ;D

_FlipChick23_ - Aw, I'm so glad that you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing it, because I could just picture that Tamsin's face would be priceless with the way that Kenzi acts in general. c':

_bruubertolo_ - Tamsin loves to try and become the ultimate tease, and I'm really happy to hear that you liked the whole 'Bo's her wife' scenario, that was a load of fun to write actually. Kenzi just loves trying to ship those two together, bless her little soul. I'm going to have a lot of fun writing the next chapter or so too, because it's going to be interesting with Tammy having to handle Bo, given the latest predicament and all that. xD  
Oh, trust me, I fell in love with you first. ;D

_Puppets' Master_ - Let us indeed! I can hear the wedding bells already! xD  
Oh, you just charmed your way into my everything. That's quite skillful. ;)  
Haha, that's perfect! Every time I read your reviews I get all giddy and feel the need to jump around the room. YOU'RE AWESOME AND I WANNA STEAL YOU AND KEEP YOU, cause I'd love to have my favorite reviewer crush with me, mwahaha! x]

_TheJojo99_ - Aww, I'm always so thrilled to hear that you're enjoying it, I feel like Kenzi/Bo/Tamsin are forming some sort of a family bond together throughout this whole mission. Like, if Bo and Tamsin ever get married, they'll both be fighting over who gets Kenzi as their maid of honor. ;D  
Oh, Tamsin self control seems to just slip in this recent chapter, I guess she can only resist for so long until she ends up giving in. Not that I blame her mind you, Bo is incredible. Period. c':

_Javlalebb_ - If Kenzi isn't careful, I can see Bo and Tamsin trying to team up on her to get their own back, which would be pretty amusing to see actually. ;D  
AH, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I've always enjoyed trying to mix humor in with drama, and I'm so grateful that you like it! YAY! :']

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Ah, honestly, you're far too kind to me. I'm blushing, I'm blushing! xD  
Well, technically Bo and Tamsin do go uninterrupted at the end of this chapter (but I won't spoil it for yah in case you're reading this review first you wonderful, wonderful, person!) although, yes... there's a 'little' action at the end. Okay, I lie, there's a lot! ;]

_BSwifty1997_ - It is always a pleasure, my friend! It is always a pleasure! And thank YOU for reading. :')

_Snagam80_ - I like to keep people guessing, but yes, I've kinda unraveled the 'Fae' mystery now, which I hope makes sense. Sometimes I have an idea in my head and it seems really easy, but then by the time I write it all down and try to figure out whether it make sense for others to read I confuse myself. So, hopefully I haven't confused you or anyone else! c':  
I guess the simple way of putting it would be that the school isn't closing because a powerful family of Fae are pulling all the strings, which makes the job harder for our three girls. But, I must say again, thank you so much. It always brings a smile to my face to read your lovely review, I don't feel as though I can express my gratitude enough though, because words just fall short sometimes!  
I seem to have amped the drama back up in this chapter a little, but of course, I could never refuse putting the comedy in between Bo/Kenzi/Tamsin at the beginning. It's too fun to pass up - I hope you enjoy and I can't wait to hear from you again! Because you're awesome and I'm falling in love with the way you word things, it's brilliant! :'D

_JanaeH_ - Well hello there, new reviewer, thank you for taking the time to read my fic! ;D  
Bless you! It's awesome that you're happy with what I'm writing so far, it makes it a pleasure for me to continue. Just knowing that you're getting entertainment from it makes me feel like a million bucks, so merci beaucoup! x]

_AwesomePerson22_ - Let me just be the first to say, I agree with your username. YOU ARE AN AWESOME PERSON, NO JOKE! :'D  
Thank you so, so, much for taking the time to read/review my work, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And you're right, Valkubus forever indeed, I'm always so eager to update as quickly as I can for you, so hopefully you won't be waiting too long for the next one. x]  
(and your secret is safe with me! c': )

_Evelien_ - Why hello there you, I've missed writing to you! I hope you've been well! :')  
Once again, I have to thank you, before I wrote this fanfiction, I was questionable as to how many chapters it would last, but right now I can't see it ever coming to an end. If it was possible, I'd just write about Bo/Tamsin forever so that you could always have something to read and enjoy. You've always been so kind to me, and I'm going to be eternally grateful for that, really, you are wonderful to converse with! :D


	15. What Lies Beneath

"I hear a voice say _'don't be so blind'_,

it's telling me all these things that you would probably hide.

Am I, your one and only desire?

Am I the reason you breathe?

Or am I the reason you cry?"

- Always, _Saliva_

* * *

"Bo..." The name fell from the valkyrie's lips through a soft groan as she caught a hold of the succubus' wrists, preventing her from making yet another passionate exploration. They had been enraptured with one another in the bed for the past half hour or so. Tamsin had intended to escape a lot earlier, but the brunette was just so fierce and willful that she had been on the receiving end of her insatiable appetite again, and again...and _again_. Serving the whims of some erotic and manic sex goddess wasn't a bad thing at all, however, if it wasn't for the fact that she had jostled through so many fights lately then she reckoned she would have been the one on top, constantly. She was panting and sweating, trying to keep the hovering woman at bay while she caught her breath. That promise about having her 'brains screwed out' must have been pretty true, because she was flushed for thought. Her brain was racing in circles while she tried to get the feeling back in her legs. To put things into a simple context: Bo was brutal. When she touched, bruises and scratches were left. When she kissed, bites and hickeys were left. It was all blood, sweat and earth shattering bliss.

As the succubus was met with the sudden expression of resistance from her exerted lover, she was only reduced to grinning slyly, "what's the matter? Have I worn you down, _baby?_" She put emphasis onto the pet name, knowing that it would send tingles down Tamsin's spine. Given the recent control she had taken over the latest period of time, she had become more than acquainted with how the blonde's body worked.

"You said that I could save your best friend thirty minutes ago, you little liar," the detective was gritting her teeth, trying to keep some self control, but it wasn't easy with the way that the other female tormented her; rocking their hips very slowly together. It was maddening. In fact, Tamsin believed that she was going to be driven insane herself by the end of this, she knew that there was lengthy sex - but then there was just chaotic mind-numbing-body-aching-bed-breaking ravaging. Hell, she doubted that she would be able to walk straight, all thanks to the smirking succubus atop her.

"I changed my mind, but I didn't hear you complaining when I-" Bo found that one of her wrists was released, and her mouth covered by the valkyrie's now-free hand.

"I'm not amnesic, I remember what happened," the blonde was stubborn, her cheeks a brighter complexion than usual. She was going to blame it on warm body heat rather than the alternative, which was blushing. Oh, no, she would never admit to giving such a feeble reaction.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me that you're shy," the brunette mumbled into the valkyrie's hand before using her own to pry it away, she inched herself closer, bringing her warm mouth next to Tamsin's ear, "are you embarrassed because of how much you begged me?"

"Bo..." The detective began to snarl a little defensively.

"Or that I made you scream? Or even that you let me do _anything_ I wanted to you? Hm?" Bo was nuzzling into the soft flesh as she spoke her sweet seductions, "I think that someone secretly likes being dominated."

At the taunting voice being used, Tamsin snapped and gave the succubus a rough push over, switching the roles, she pinned her down firmly against the mattress, holding her wrists sharply above her head. With the pressure she was using, the flesh would be bruised, but she didn't even consider that.

And yet, Bo could on give a chuckle of sudden alleviation as well as approving prowess, "there's my girl," her hazel eyes were glinting in that lustful way of hers, "come on, I'm sure you've got enough stamina to last the entire day, forget about saving this town."

Now more than ever, the blonde was given a cold wake-up call that the female below her wasn't in her right mind; how could she be Bo and _not_ be her at the same time? It was confusing Tamsin, because she was a sucker for challenges, but even more so - she held a fiery obsession for taking revenge. She had been defeated today and it hurt her pride more than it did her body. "I can't do that, believe me as much as I want to stay here with you, I just...I can't. You're a lost girl Bo, and Kenzi needs me."

"I need you more," the succubus tried to counter, taking an abrupt edge of hostility to her tone, "we can be lost together, you and me."

"There'll be another time." The valkyrie released a hold of the brunette's forearms and with a horrendous effort, she swung both of her legs over the edge of the bed and brought her feet to the floor. Upon standing, she wobbled and came close to falling. Utter power of will was what kept her tall, she was commanding herself not to topple down. She wasn't weak.

She was not weak.

Her eyes scoured around for her clothes - preferably the pair of jeans she had come to the town with, because the skirt was too restricting. She could resort to wearing it at a later date if she needed to. When spying the armchair, she noticed the attire and felt a wave of relief as she began to approach it, partially limping.

But, was life ever going to be that easy? Of course not.

The succubus looked all but amused at the valkyrie's urge to go of and play savior around town, "oh no, you don't just get to walk away from me - we are staying right here, together!" she had risen to her feet with little problem in comparison. Then again, she was topped up on a good dosage of Chi. She began to march across the room, her steps carrying a spontaneous anger to them.

Tamsin was startled by the rising aggression within the brunette, and so she spun around, catching an eyeful as she was approached. It looked as though she was going to have to force her way out of this house - which she didn't want to have to resort to, but the fact was, the succubus wasn't in her usual calm mind. And Kenzi's life was too valuable to forsake. "Bo, I'm warning you, don't try to stop me."

Clearly said warning had gone unheeded given that the steps were still forthcoming.

It left the valkyrie with one option, "I really didn't want to have to do this," a heavy sigh parted from her lips and her expression became tense, her gaze narrowing. She held the intent on tapping into her powers to make the brunette back off - but when nothing was happening, she became perplexed.

On her second attempt at enforcing doubt, she couldn't even feel any changes. Her eyes became wide in horror as she glanced down, looking at her hands as though to question on what the hell was wrong.

A smirk of acknowledgement surfaced over Bo's lips, "uh oh, looks like you're all juiced out," before letting a second pass, she erased the remaining distanced and pushed the baffled blonde up against the door. Her breasts were crushing against Tamsin's while she clutched at her arms, "poor thing."

"Damn you, succubitch," the valkyrie made a move to struggle, but the brunette's hips and body were squared tightly into her, "I knew that you were only going to run me down."

"And still you let me inside," Bo's glee was obvious as she touched on that point, "you're helpless and you are too weak to use your powers, but I'll take care of you, I'll make you feel better." The small promises left through devious lips and the succubus ghosted her mouth along Tamsin's neck.

The valkyrie's frustration was mixed with these tormented feelings of arousal that always came about whenever the woman touched her; it was like wildfire to her senses. "I don't need taken care of, I just want to kick some Fae ass and rescue Kenzi, so if you don't back off then I'm going to have to use force."

"You mean you'll hurt me? Go ahead," the succubus was set on making life difficult as she breathed down the other woman's neck, calling her bluff.

_'...she is the most frustrating woman I've ever met...'_ Tamsin kept telling herself, deep down she knew that she would never want to do anything to cause the brunette harm. She needed a compromise and began to think outside of the box, not that it was a simple task with the way the succubus was nibbling lightly against her neck. It made her knees want to buckle, so it was fortunate that she was being pinned to the wall. "If you care for me as much as you say you do, then you will let me go."

So suddenly, after her words, everything came to a stop.

"Am I not good enough for you?" Bo was now asking, her antics once again shifting from seducing to pure anger, she slammed both of her hands at either side of the wall; denting into the plaster with the burst of strength.

It was enough to make the valkyrie aware that she could be dancing with her life if she said the wrong thing, "where on earth did you get _that_ from what I just said?" Her voice was a flurry of panic and disbelief as she felt the empowered succubus glaring daggers into her. Oh, if looks could kill, the blonde didn't like her chances.

"I've given you everything and this is how you repay me?" Clearly the brunette wasn't even trying to control her raging temper, hence why her eyes were a striking blue right about now.

Tamsin's next reply could be considered utterly reckless, but she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "please, don't get ahead of yourself, you've only given me orgasms and bruises. That doesn't qualify as 'everything' darling."

**Whack.**

The next thing she knew, her jaw had been on the worst end of a painful slap, _again_, causing her to grunt in discomfort. She should've known that it would happen again. Since when did taunting insane people ever come with kindness? The passionate atmosphere had well and truly died out.

"You...you're always such a...a bitch..." Bo was complaining furiously as she took a step or two back, bringing her hands to clutch at her own hair, "I keep showing you love, love, and more love and you throw it away..."

Once the valkyrie had finished soothing her jaw over by rubbing her palm against the reddened area, she focused on the undecided succubus, taking a note to how quickly her attitude could switch from one extreme to the next. While she was on this high rant of her, the blonde took the time to move along the wall, over to the armchair where her other clothing resided, "Bo, you aren't capable of expressing love, not right now, you're confusing it with some psychotic obsession. It's not your fault, it's just the Fae's power affecting your head."

"Shut up, that's...that is ludicrous!" The brunette was snapping, trailing her fingers through her dark tresses of hair, dragging her nails along her scalp. Perhaps the degree of her tattered mind was beginning to show itself. Her breathing was laboring and her teeth were clenching together, making her voice sound doubly as agitated.

The blonde began to feel a surfacing guilt over witnessing the deterioration; if she had only been strong enough to defeat these Fae, then this wouldn't have happened. Kenzi wouldn't be abducted and Bo would certainly not be suffering from a plagued psyche. Tamsin kept an ever watchful eye upon the other woman, even whilst she started to change into a less than nude state. Her undergarments were the first to go on. "Will you listen to yourself? You don't want to save Kenzi, you dissed the doctor and I've become your personal slapping doll. That isn't love, Bo, it is madness," Tamsin explained as she slid her legs into her jeans, tugging them upwards so that she could do up the belt, "not that you can tell the difference..." she mumbled quietly to herself and grasped up her black t-shirt, soon throwing it on.

"Stop trying to confuse the issue, you're not being very fair about this," Bo closed her eyes tightly for about three seconds, and then, she was marching straight to the valkyrie again, "I can make you want me, I can make you stay."

Assuming that the succubus was about to try and spike her with desire, Tamsin snatched a hold of Bo's wrists, refusing to be touched by her. No, she'd seen how these powers work and she wouldn't be a puppet to it. She wouldn't be compelled from saving the absent human girl. "No, bad succubus._ Bad._ I do want you...but I just...I need you to be _you_, Bo." When she realized that she had the female hesitating, she loosened her hold. In actual fact, the detective held a surprising decency. She grabbed over her blouse and soon ushered the brunette into putting it on. For some reason, arguing with a naked Bo was just no good for her dirty thoughts. However, it was a little like trying to dress a five year old, she had to guide the woman's limp arms into either sleeve and then she had to do up the buttons, excluding the first couple.

"I can be good," the succubus blurted out in a small whine, but she wasn't at all compliant when she found that the blonde was crouching down, taking a hold of her ankle in order to help get her into a set of underwear. Because, lets face it, she wasn't thinking clear enough to consider clothing. "I can be anything you want."

Tamsin hated the fact that she couldn't just give in and agree to this all, she was huffing as she tugged the lower attire up the woman's thighs, "believe me, I'd love nothing more than to drag you back over to the bed and ignore the rest of the world."

"Then why don't you?" Bo, who was successfully dressed, to a semi-extent, grasped tightly at the blonde's top, staring at her through a confused and hurt gaze.

"Because of these damn..." Oh, the valkyrie hated what she was about to say, "...these _ethics_. Life was so much easier when I didn't care. I wish I could be an insensitive jackass and leave you like this, but I can't. And I can't leave Kenzi to die either, the blasted girl has grown on me. And so have you, I respect you enough to know that I need to get you back to normal. How can I live while you are a prisoner in your own mind? I need to fix you, Bo."

"I don't need fixed!" The succubus emphasized on the latter word, tugging forcefully at the blonde's t-shirt, "I just want to be with you, we could be happy here, together."

The valkyrie wasn't still baffled as to whether this was psycho-babble or some form of an open truth, but she tried not to dwell on it, she was going to have to be blunt, "honey, you do need help, you're acting like a whinging little harlot. Trust me, it's horribly sexy, but my main focus should be your best friend."

Obviously her words were taken the wrong way by the paranoid brunette, "I knew it! I knew that you had a thing for Kenzi, you're absolutely 'obsessed' with her, aren't you? It's the gothicness, isn't it!?"

"What!?"

"Oh my god, do you love her more than you love me? You do, don't you?"

"Now hold on just a second-" As Tamsin began to protest over these absurd insinuations, she felt the woman's kneecap slamming into her stomach in a painful force, which instantly caused her to hug her arms around her own waist as she crippled lower to the ground. The wind was knocked straight from her system and she began to groan, negatively, "ouch!"

"Trust me, you deserve worse than that - no one plays around with my heart!" Bo was back to pacing back and forth, unphased over the way that she had brought the other female down to a crouched position with her recent outlash. These attacks of hers were at random intervals. If it wasn't a slap then it was a knee to the stomach.

_'Jesus, she's acting like some painfully jealous girlfriend,'_ Tamsin told herself as she tried to get over the sore throbbing from where she had been hit. "What? I'm playing around with your heart!? You just kneed me in the abdomen, for NO valid reason, you crazy, crazy woman!" She was grumbling through heavy breaths as she began to stagger back up to her feet.

"No valid reason? You are choosing my best friend over me!"

"Actually, I'm trying to save her life, there is a difference. God, you are working yourself up over nothing."

"That's because you don't want to be with me, I can't believe it," the succubus was scoffing, becoming more and more emotionally cracked, "I'm trying to give you my heart and my body, and you don't even care. Noooo, you just want to save little Kenzi-kins instead because she is sooooo important to you. You love her, just admit it, put me out of my misery already."

"Well, at least she actually has a mind," Tamsin mumbled to herself.

Again, a bad decision.

She could see that Bo looked as though she was ready to break something and all eyes were on her. "Oh, damn...did I mention that I was only teasing?" Her words were of no use when the other female began to approach her. Tamsin backed away, wearing a nervous frown. She was preparing for another type of hit, and sure enough, it came. When Bo's hand raised, she quickly grabbed her wrist, catching the slap midway. "Ah ha, you better try a new trick because that one is getting old."

Sadly, the single moment of triumph was next to nothing when the brunette chose to give a small kick into the blonde's shin instead.

Random _indeed_.

Tamsin growled after grunting and shook her head, "blimey, can you just stop with the hitting and kicking already? It's really starting to piss me off."

"You started it, all I want is to love you for the rest of my life." Another crack change of personality swung into play as Bo broke into a sob halfway through her response.

_'What the HELL!? This is insane!'_ The valkyrie was screaming in her own mind as she watched the way that the succubus really did appear to choke into an abrupt state of depression. It was like her hormones were all over the place, but then again, madness was so often changeable. "Shit, are you crying? Oh, no, no...don't do that," Tamsin was resorting to groaning in frustration, "ugh, no tears, come on, I'm not good with this stuff."

"This is all your fault, you just wanted to use me for the sex, didn't you? Is that all I am to you? A personal pleasure machine?"

"BO! For god's sake, please, please, stop rambling. You're giving me a headache." The valkyrie gripped the woman by the shoulders, lightly, seeing the way that some of the make-up under her eyes had smudged. "In case you've forgotten, you were the one who dragged me into this sex fest, I'm not using you - I just don't have time to convince you right now." Tamsin patted the succubus and then pulled away, taking quick steps toward the door. Somehow she regretted having to bail when the female was so distraught. These were the times when she needed Kenzi around; handling an upset woman was a challenge that the blonde had yet to master. She couldn't even afford to let her tag along on this mission, given that she wasn't in her right mind to think. She may have been sporadic, but she was vulnerable also. The valkyrie spun around and paced along the hallway, aiming to just focus on the current task. Again though, it wasn't that simple.

Not even five steps out and already Bo had chased after the detective, hugging around her waist from behind, "please, don't go, just forget about everything else. If I'm the only one for you, then you'll stay." The succubus was reversing a similar tactic of emotional blackmail that had been used against her earlier, believing that it would work. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

_'Hurt me? That doesn't sound fun,'_ the valkyrie processed the thought that she wasn't going to be leaving without a scratch or two. "Clever, using my own tactic against me," she exhaled a small sigh and took a hold of the brunette's forearms, prying them away from the coiling around her waist, "but it won't work. No matter what you do, or what you say, I'm going to be walking out the front door. One way or another." Laying the law down was difficult, but she twisted slightly, placing a hand on Bo's chest to give her a small nudge back.

The succubus was physically distressed, and the blonde couldn't help but find the vulnerable appearance rather beautiful, but she didn't comment on it. Actually, she disliked how this situation was turning out as a whole. She was forced to choose between two women and not in the usual way. One was going to die and the other was left to fall into mental turmoil.

Unless she got her head in the game and somehow managed to save the day.

"Well..." Bo sniffled, turning strangely deadpan while she spoke, her hand reached to the window next to her, "you've left me with no choice."

"No choice?" The detective paused, frowning. Confusion became an understatement. Her eyes followed the movement of the succubus' hand and in the next moment, she was smacked with shock as Bo uncaringly rammed her fist threw the pane; causing a spine tingling shatter. Tamsin was unable to do anything other than gawk at the unwanted image, "what the hell are you doing!? Are...are you alright?"

A silly question when seeing that blood was already trailing down the other female's wrist.

Bo didn't respond, instead she curled her hand into a solid grip around one of the dangling shards and then snapped it away, holding onto it firmly. It looked like some dangerous makeshift dagger of glass. "I told you, you left me no choice," her voice was distant as she brought her sights over to the blonde, "if I can't have you, my love, then no one can."

The blatant threat had Tamsin's heart doing flips in the confines of her battered ribcage; her luck continually sunk to a new low. At least this was proof that she couldn't rely on trusting the other woman. "Bo, put the painful looking glass down. Don't do anything stupid."

"Ha ha, funny advice...you should've listened to it yourself," the succubus was walking forward, wearing the same deranged grin that could freeze fire. The cuts along her knuckles, and gash in her palm didn't even register with her. "I should've realized it before, you are too good to belong in this wretched world. It doesn't deserve you."

"So... what? The logical solution for that is to kill me with some broken glass? Wow, you madwomen are always so romantic." Tamsin was starting to back away now, holding a narrow gaze as the crazed brunette closed the distance.

Things had blown out of proportion at an incredible rate.

"I cherish you so much that I refuse to let someone else have you," Bo explained as though it was an easy reason to justify.

"Are you still convinced that I've got feelings for Kenzi? Will you snap out of it already?" The blonde steadied her breathing as best as she possibly could, considering.

With each step nearer, the brunette looked as though she was preparing to make a strike, "don't lie to me, Tamsin, I've see the way you open up to her, you don't do that with me. You can't love me."

The valkyrie's mind was racing and reeling on how to approach such a delicate situation, however, the succubus made a sudden slash with the jagged shard. Fortunately, Tamsin was quick enough to grasp over the metal candlestick from the counter next to her. She held it in front of her to block the violent attack, her teeth gritting slightly.

Was this really happening? Bo was attacking her? To be fair, the detective knew that it wasn't the succubus acting from her own accord. Still, this was a dire circumstance to be caught in.

"I'm not going to fight you Bo, and I'm not going to die." Tamsin wouldn't budge on her words, not even when another strike was made. Again, she countered it without thought. Being a valkyrie, she was extremely proficient when it came to physical conflict. She had mastered every style of weapon, but never had she been forced to resort to a mere candle holder. Utilizing was also something she appeared to have become a professional at.

"And here I thought you would love the chance to take a shot at me," Bo's smirk widened, the mascara running down from her eyes adding to her mania, "come on, you must have thought about it. You versus me? Who is stronger?"

Unable to simply make a run for it, Tamsin focused more on the lethal glass in the succubus' hand compared to the taunting words, "I don't need to think about that. I know that I would win, I'm in a different league to you succulette. Fighting you would be like beating a child; simple and pointless."

"You sure about that, super girl? Because it looks like you're having a hard time keeping up with me," the succubus was commenting on nothing more than the fact that she had barely broken a sweat so far, whereas the blonde was working at a harder pace. In the next movement, she made a vertical swing, upwards, inputting so much force that she knocked the metal holder out of Tamsin's hand. The object made a 'clunk' as it landed on the wooden floorboards, "uh oh."

Taking in deeper breaths, the detective's eyebrow had raised, she tried to ignore the undeniable assessment on her current condition, "I'm just giving you a chance, sweetheart. If you hadn't taken so much of my Chi, this fight would be over already. Consider yourself lucky."

"Mm, I must thank you for giving me so much access to your energy, you really know how to keep a succubus satisfied." With a chuckle, the brunette was aimlessly twirling the glass around in her hand; her blue eyes never moving from the wary valkyrie.

"I'll tell you what, stop trying to sheer me with the glass and we'll be square." Were it possible for her to catch the damn weapon then she'd have tried, but it would only result in her cutting her own hands and she wasn't too keen on that. She was sporting enough injuries as it was, so this needed to end quickly. When Bo swiped forward with the sharp-edged weapon, Tamsin misjudged the distance and felt her bicep being nicked as she leaned back. The skin was grazed, shallowly, but it was enough to draw a thin line of blood. As with most things, the slight pain caused her to wince, but it was more so the fact of being hit that started to annoy her. It was taking all of her willpower to stop from reacting or lashing out. Rest assured if she let her temper get the better of her then she would end up hurting the succubus.

With her guard seeming to be lowered, the brunette acted on the window of opportunity and eased a speedy step forward, pushing on hand to the blonde's chest to knocked her back against the wall, whilst the shard of glass within her other was pressed lightly to Tamsin's gullet. "That was reckless of you detective, you're rather slow, aren't you?"

The valkyrie said nothing further for the time being, not when she was restrained with an uncomfortable piece of broken pain resting at the front of her throat. Her only reasons for landing in the more submissive position was due to the constant desire to fight back that she had to keep resisting. "Don't you get it? This is what the Fae wants, pitting us against each other. It's a distraction from saving Kenzi."

"Or maybe you are just afraid to fight me," Bo remarked through a confident grin as she let her eyes wander over the blonde's face.

"I'm afraid of _hurting_ you, I'm not a gentle person. When I play, I win."

"Hearing you say that gives me chills," the succubus purred as she inched in, her lips less than two centimeters away from the detective's, "in all the right ways."

"Chills, huh? That's not surprising, I am a cold woman," Tamsin was replying through a solemn voice, keeping the tone steady so she didn't result in agitating the glass against her neck. If the brunette was provoked in the wrong way then she might finish the job, as it were. "Listen to me, Bo, you don't want to kill me," as she breathed softly, she could feel the other female's mouth moving close enough to graze against her own, "do you?"

"You make me feel so angry and so pure, all at once," Bo's grip had lessened considerably as she deleted the remaining distance by capturing Tamsin's lips in a hasty kiss.

_'Gotcha'_,' the valkyrie was becoming smug in her mind, knowing that it would take the tiniest offer of temptation to draw the brunette into her. It stripped away the former danger and gave her an opportunity to reach her hand across to the decorative vase on the shelf next to her. Each movement was kept as subtle as possible. Tamsin was distracting the succubus' attention by granting her complete access to her mouth; the female's tongue was roaming around furiously, rubbing against her own.

There was a delicate clatter as the glass shard suddenly dropped to the floorboard below. Bo's hands were now occupied in holding desperately onto the front of the blonde's top, tugging and clenching into the material so tightly that it was bound to crease. Anything else in the world was oblivious to her at that point; the desire to hurt the detective had fled from her wreckage of a brain.

And by now, the valkyrie's fingers curled around the body of the vase. While she lifted it, she could hear the little moans that were muffling from the succubus. Very enticing noises, no doubt. It was taking all of the blonde's strength and dignity to resist bringing this entire situation back into the bedroom. It felt morally wrong to suffer from a constant attraction to the other female, especially since it had nothing to do with the Fae aspect. It was just Bo. Everything about her was an endorphin to the valkyrie; some type of personal nymphetamine.

Although the wiser part of her brain told her that she couldn't waste time on these building fantasies. She waited the moment out until the succubus had drawn back to take a breath. More than likely, she was going to make another lunge for this corruptive affection. Tamsin took away the chance and brought the ornamental vase across in a blunt hit to the back of Bo's skull, with enough force that said item broke into several pieces in her hand. The other woman's body gave a violent jump on impact, her hand reaching as though to press against the back of her head, although she only kept a fleeting consciousness before her eyes rolled back. Her body grew limp and collapsed.

The fall would have been nasty, were it not for Tamsin's sharp reactions. She stooped forward and threw her arms around Bo, catching her before she hit the hard ground. It made every ache in her own body wail in an agonizing protest, but it was a worthy price to pay in order to spare the brunette from more harm. "I told you, succubus, a fight is pointless when I know I'm going to win."

After devoting a small passage of seconds to admiring the woman's loose form, the valkyrie wore an expression mixed of relief and concern. A paradox of emotion. She prayed that she hadn't used too much force.

Something told her that she was going to have an angry succubus on her back if she didn't end this nightmare before she came to again. The thought wasn't as appealing as it should have been. It proved that Tamsin must have cared an awful lot given that she was never usually one to worry about an extra challenge. Being rarely courteous, she lifted the brunette's body into her arms, supporting the weight without complaint. And step, by heavy step, she had no other option but to carry her back into the bedroom, laying her out flat onto the mattress when she could. Leaving her sprawled on the floor wasn't a comfortable choice in the blonde's mind. "I'm going to make this right for you Bo, I swear," even though the other female couldn't hear her words, it was less burdening for her to admit them aloud, "you do mean everything to me." Concluding with nothing apart from the confession, she tucked a strand of the succubus' hair behind her ear, choosing to watch her through an adoring gaze. But then, reality sunk back in and she pulled herself away, departing into the hallway instead.

After that, it took her a good thirty seconds to limp down the staircase until reaching the front door. Her nose crinkled as she spied the trashed counters and splintered dents in the surrounding walls and bannisters. The succubus must have tried her heart out to save Kenzi. The evidence was all around. And the idea that she had been hurt in the process was more than enough of a reason for the valkyrie to detach her mind away from what was right and wrong. As soon as she stepped outside, she pulled the door shut behind her, taking the time to lock it, and along with doing so, she also began to close down her conscience. There would be no mercy for these Fae, no fairness or second chances granted. She was going to bring hell upon them. Even with the odds stacked out of her favor, she always had a way of bouncing back stronger in the end.

So perhaps it theorized that it wasn't typically power that won a fight, but rather, resolve.

As for a plan on how she was going to play savior this time, she had nothing set in stone. Everything that she done from now until she found Kenzi was going to be based on brash instinct.

* * *

And so, it was within the next fifteen minutes to follow that her search resumed. There were several options that she could have turned to, such as going back to the high school. However, she wouldn't gain any intel there. No, the people there couldn't divulge information to her, not with the act of data protection that every educational building withheld. The valkyrie was going to have to rely on another method, but she was an ace tracker. And more than that, her initiative was brilliant if not risky. She had entered the heart of the small town by foot, after all, her truck was either smashed or filled with bullet holes, so she couldn't chance driving it around otherwise she would be an easy target for her enemies. Being a bull's eye for them wasn't something she could afford at this point in time, not yet anyway. The only use she had for her vehicle was that she always carried a spare dagger in the glove compartment, so she made sure to retrieve it beforehand.

While passing some of the cafes and small boutique stores, she kept to herself, ignoring all other civilians around. Even though she was put through her paces, she didn't look as bad as she felt. A visible bruise at the top of her cheek, a slight gash in her temple and a cut lip. All other marks and damage were hidden underneath her clothing, thank goodness. Otherwise her job would be much harder with the attention that she would have drawn to herself. Her sights were continuing to shift from the left to the right, staring down every street and spying into most windows. There was a reason for her scouring behavior. If there was one type of character that she needed to find in this place then it was a police officer. With all she knew, there were only seven in the town.

All of which were sons to the woman who kicked her ass previously. By default that made them an enemy.

Tamsin didn't know what the males physically looked like, but when she turned the next corner, she spotted a younger man in uniform, patrolling along the sidewalk. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he qualified as a cop.

Which also meant that he qualified as Fae.

"Jackpot," the blonde was smirking inside as she straightened her posture and started to follow, discreetly. They were in broad daylight, in the open street, so this was not the best place to lunge an attack. She had to play around with her tactics in order to succeed. Nothing would have pleased her more than to charge in and start an all-out war within the town, but for Kenzi's sake, she couldn't do that. If these people even caught a notion that the valkyrie was coming for them, they may have been inclined to kill the human girl as quickly and painfully as possible, and that was never allowed to come into the equation. Not to the detective anyway. She cared about the female's life too much to lose her now. As shocking as it may have been, she truly did consider the mortal as a friend; one that she didn't want to see harmed.  
As she strayed in the background, watching over the officer's movements, she observed the overly friendly persona he exhibited as he greeted passers-by. It was too feigned now that she knew what he was. His lies were like looking into water; absolutely clear. However, he looked young in appearance, as if he was in his mid twenties, so she began to guess that his kind devoured the hearts of their victims as a way to remain youthful and vibrant. Maybe. She couldn't be sure, but it was plausible and explained why mainly teenagers were targeted. Between the age of thirteen and nineteen, a person's heart was supposedly in it's prime. Prime meaning much more useful.

The next forty five seconds of her life were dedicated solely to monitoring the male's interactions and route. All of the fury that had been manifesting inside of her was begging to be released as she stalked closer. The gods must have been shining fortune down upon her for a change, because she soon noticed that the officer was about to pass by a convenient alleyway. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Tamsin's pace of walking suddenly increased; her head snapping between all directions to ensure no one was spying on her. Quite frankly, most people were either at their work, or it happened to be the elder citizens that were hobbling around. In other words - this gave her an incredible chance to do some damage.

When the valkyrie displaced her sights to the front once more, she rushed the last three steps, coming into arm's reach of the male. Without a first thought, she rammed her elbow into his lower spine and then thrust her shoulder into the flat of his back in order to give him a forced shove down the isolated alley. The sudden shock sent him staggering and she pursued his unbalanced form without reluctance. By this point she whipped the dagger out from the back waistband of her jeans and gave another swift hit forward; bringing the metal hilt down into the male's shoulderblade which drew out a solid groan from him. He surely would have buckled to his knees, but the blonde had other plans. She grasped him by the collar of his jacket and hauled him around to face her.

In a heartbeat the cold blade of the dagger was jamming along his gullet - that being a technique she had borrowed from her beloved succubus.

With all that had transpired, the officer wore a look of disbelief, pain and confusion. Though, his teeth were beginning to grit, his hand lowering to the gun on his belt, "what the hell-"

"Uh, uh, uh," Tamsin saw his reaction and pressed the metal harsher, so much so that it was piercing the first layer of untouched flesh, "I wouldn't if I were you. Trust me, boy, you'll be choking on your own blood before you even take the safety off your gun."

Her threat had been enough to make the other man freeze, which was more preferable, he was no good to her dead. Not until he had served his purpose.

"Who are you?" The male hissed defensively, feeling that he was being backed into the wall given the sudden lack of movement he could make, "what do you want?"

"Lets just say that I know your mother," the blonde was beyond the point of making idle chat, her knuckles were white enough as it was with the solid grip she had on the weapon, "you see, she took something _very_ valuable to me and I want it back."

The frown upon her face started to shift into a lesser state as a grin crossed her lips, the sudden spark of realization in the officer's eyes was enough to make her adrenaline kickstart. It would have been no fun if he acted dumb around her. "You're the valkyrie?" He sounded amazed, almost as though he had expected her to be dead by now, "but how...? Where is the succubus?"

"Ah, yes, you mean the woman that your family jinxed into craving me so much until she wanted me dead? I can't tell you how lovely that little treat was," The detective wasn't willing to divulge any information as such, not to a great extent, "honestly, I'm disappointed that you couldn't think of anything more creative, turning teammates against each other...it's the oldest trick in the book, wouldn't you say?"

Well, since she was placing more pressure into the man's throat, she supposed that it would be difficult for him to give a clear answer, however, her question was trivial. There was a more important subject up for discussion, "you took a young girl, blue eyes, dark hair, a loud mouth. Where is she?"

"Why should I tell you?" The male sneered, choosing the wrong time to show some defiance.

Angry valkyries were more treacherous than a lightning storm.

Tamsin's eyes could freeze flames as she glared at the so-called 'officer', she began to lean forward, her teeth gritting, "I can guarantee that if you don't cooperate I will tear you apart in ways that would make Jack The Ripper envious, in fact, he'd probably be able to learn a trick or two." The frosty tone she spoke in only made her warning more real, that, and the way she angled the dagger ever so slightly that it began to cut deeper into the man's neck, drawing a few drops of crimson which were spilling down the skin.

"How do I know that you aren't going to kill me anyway?" It was possibly a smart question on the male's behalf. He was wincing as he tried to move back, only with the wall behind him there was virtually no space around to escape to.

"You've got two choices, suffer slowly or take a chance, where is my friend?" Tamsin's patience wore thinner by the second as she began to tighten her hold on the blade's handle, "tick tock, tick tock..."

"Christ, alright! There's an abandoned shack at the edge of town, that is where the girl has been taken so that no one can hear her-"

"Scream," the valkyrie finished the sentence, the very thought bringing a feeling of nausea to the pit of her stomach. It only became more real that Kenzi could be suffering at this very moment.

"There, I told you, now please...can you just let me go?" The male swallowed back a hard lump, his eyebrows kinking questionably when the blade wasn't instantly removed. "The chances are the girl will still be alive, it's usually more satisfying to torture victims before killing them. It's what we've always done, so if you hurry, you can get her and then get the hell out of this town."

Tamsin's jaw was becoming tense, her gaze holding very little emotion, "one more question, what happened to the succubus? What did your family do to her?"

"I don't see why-"

"ANSWER!"

Startled, the male didn't refuse for a second time, "she tried to protect the girl with her life but she wasn't any match for my family. It was foolish of her to keep fighting a losing battle, instead of killing her, my mother decided to leave her as a present for you. As a reminder that you are dealing with pretty nasty stuff."

With everything the valkyrie had just heard, any mercy fled from her mind, "well, what a coincidence, because you and your pathetic family have no idea what I am capable of either. It's so tragic, you won't be around to see it at all."

The hint being made was rather clear.

"What? But you said-"

"I said you should take a chance, I never promised that I would spare your life, you're a coward for surrendering in the first place," the blonde made a very harsh slash along the man's neck at the conclusion of her words. The attack was weighted and so vehement that blood spurted out from the ripped veins of the gullet. A disturbing gargling could be heard as the man began to try and clasp at his own throat in a futile attempt to stop the violent flow. Although it was futile for a reason as he lost balance and toppled to his knees, which forced the detective to take a step back. Her face was void of emotion as she looked down upon the Fae who was bleeding out; the picture making it look as though there was a crimson waterfall beginning to pool against the ground. His suffering eyes were trying to catch a view of her as if to ask 'why?' seeing as how he could no longer physically speak.

Tamsin crouched slightly, resting her forearm along her kneecap when she was at a low enough level.

He wanted an answer.

She had one for him.

"No one messes with _my_ woman and lives to see the next day."

Of course, the reference to Bo was extremely obvious, or it should have been. It was the first time that the stubborn valkyrie had publicly voiced that she had someone in the world that she considered hers. And there was an irony in the fact that the first person she uttered the words to just happened to collapse to the ground, drained of all life, literally. He had drowned with the blood in his own throat, but it was nothing less than he deserved. One of the family was down, so she only had about...six more brothers and two parents to go. How magical.  
Now that she had a location to go to, she figured that it was about time that she paid this bothersome school counselor a visit. Another rematch was in order. And if she stumbled into any more Fae along the way then she would do unto them as she had to the dead male in the alleyway. However, she knew that she should clear any trace of hers away from this place.

_'I think it's time that I repay this little present,'_ Tamsin tilted her head in thought as she eyed the body. With what she had in mind, she knew that it would only bring about more trouble to herself, but what the hell?

She wanted these Fae to know that they had chosen to hurt the wrong people.

Those 'people' being Bo and Kenzi.

It was practically a declaration of war to Tamsin.

* * *

KA-BOOM! I thought I'd throw in an explosion of Valkubus, from a kinda kinky talk in the start - to a paranoid/jealous Bo - then to a psycho succubus! Poor Tamsin, she couldn't say anything right. Honestly, it really made me feel as though Bo was some over possessive/obsessive wife or something like that. xD

And then they had a 'little' fight, but I loved touching upon it; who do you guys think would win if it came down to it? Bo or Tamsin? Not that I'd ever want them to try and tear each other apart, but it does make me curious. c':

Hopefully I'll get some Kenzi action in the next chapter seeing as her favorite valkyrie in the whole wide world is coming to save her!

And oh lord...Tamsin called Bo HER woman! Yes! xD

(Reviews! c': )

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Yikes, no kidding, she's woken up with some kinda insanity hangover! Poor Tammy, she doesn't have a clue on how to handle a crazy Bo. ;D

_theoncomingwind_ - I am having quite a development with these wonderful reviewers, aren't I? I find it extremely flattering, I must say. Everyone I've responded to is so lovely, yourself now included! c':  
I'm actually really grateful thank you have taken the time to read and write up a review yourself! It's always a pleasure to speak with someone else who is interested in the fic, but I've enjoyed touching on Bo's little insanity problem right now. Rest assured, she is going to be mortified when she recalls what she has said to Lauren. Tamsin is probably going to be dealing with all of those fun problems again, but at least now she has Kenzi to support her. xD

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - That would be the most adorable thing on the planet; like I feel as though I should write more endearing moments between the two of them since it's all be doom and gloom lately. Those two lovely ladies deserve a break. ;D

_TheJojo99_ - Oh, you're more than welcome, I had to made it extra long, especially with the steamy scene at the end. I didn't want it over within two paragraphs so I tried to extend it as long as I could. I imagine we were both wearing a goofy smirk at some point during that chapter. ;D  
Hmm, I think that is a very good point, since Bo isn't entirely herself right now then she is going to have to make it up to Tamsin at some point. After all, her dear valkyrie is saving the day all over again, as always.  
Gaaah, I know, Tammy isn't thrilled that she got beaten by a damn counselor, so there's going to be hell to pay! x]  
Poor Kenzi, she is going to have to turn her music up really loud the next time she is sharing a house with those two, otherwise she'll never sleep.  
I couldn't (for the life of me) resist throwing that little snippet in with Lauren, because it may seem like nothing right now, but you and I know that it's going to make for a catastrophe when Bo sees her again. xD

_Puppets' Master_ - I'm totally there! Right on! *Packs suitcase and scoots over* xD  
I agree though, you have some crazy talents on you. You really could teach Bo a trick or two about winning someone over, she should take notes. ;]  
Ohhh, yuss! I'm grinning like a fool right now, yes! You are the valkyrie to my succubus. And judging by how this fic is going, it means that I'm going to turn all crazy and try to keep you to myself - not that I'd ever complain about that though!  
I'm glad you found the chapter so hot, I had to fan myself when I was writing it, I kept getting the visual images in my head and it was hard to focus. ;D  
It's settled though, when we are married, I will steal you and technically it will be legal! YAY! Life makes sense again!  
I shall keep up this work for you until the sun freezes over - and even then I'll still keep going, m'love. c':

_bruubertolo_ - OH, THAT MADE ME SMILE SO MUCH! Like my cheeks are hurting right now! xD  
But I have to admit, I am on a drug...and it's called Valkubus, it's just too damn addictive, mwahaha. ;)  
I've gotta agree though, I bet there was a part of Kenzi that secretly wanted to accept Tamsin's offer. Being in the bedroom with a valkyrie and a succubus couldn't be bad at all. I might be amazing, but you are SUPER amazing! I could learn a thing or two from you!  
I've got a secret gift where I can see into the future, so I fell for yah before I even wrote this fic...and yes that does sound crazy, but that's what I'm sticking with. xD

_FlipChick23_ - I loved the reference to the 'shituations', very smooth! xD  
But you're right about that, Kenzi just gets herself into all sorts of trouble, whether it is with crazy Fae or her friends. She's always stirring something up. ;P

_AwesomePerson22_ - Awh, bless you! Thank you so much! I'm ever so grateful that you like all these little sections I mix into it, the Tamsin/Kenzi friendship has become a favorite scenario of mine to write. Like, I feel as though it would be really awkward if the two of them were left in a room with Lauren! xD  
And poor Kenzi, she's always getting herself captured, but now that Tammy is coming to save her, hopefully she'll be alright! AndILoveYouToo! ;]  
You're too kind to me, honestly, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love you for loving this story and being so awesome about it. c':

_Jaddy86_ - Woops, I guess I did kinda leave that hint after the steamy love scene...MY BAD! I'll need to be more discreet about the forewarning next time, huh? ;D  
But thank you very much, it's great to know that you even take the time to read this fic during your break at work, hopefully I'll be able to post up loads more chapters soon to keep you content during your break. And I'm excited to develop more of the phonecall with Lauren. Bo is going to freak out when she comes back to her senses. x]

_Guest_ - Oui, oui, ouiiiiiiiiiiii! xD

_Evelien_ - Ah, that is very kind, although I have to give you the credit for being the sweet one! After all you were the first one to give me the lovely review, and even to this day, whenever I read back through them a smile is always brought to my face. It's a wonderful feeling. :'D  
I always enjoy taking the time to reply to yourself as well as everyone else because I need you all to know how much I appreciate your input. It's thanks to you all that I'm continuing to write. Making you happy makes me happy, so it's a win-win situation. c':  
And as always, I'm glad that you have been entertained, hopefully all of my upcoming chapters will continue to provide you with the same joy! Rest assured there will be Lauren/Bo/Tamsin drama in the upcoming future.  
Oooh, and that is GENIUS! You are absolutely right, I completely overlooked the fact that Tamsin mentioned her many lifetimes, that is definite proof that her memories will be in tact, excellent observation! *High five* xD

_xoDollyDeexo_ - *Sends across a bright and shiny new update, wrapped up in a red ribbon*  
From me to you, as a personal present! xD


	16. Failure Teaches Success

"You alone, you can take away the pain.

You have shown, you can break right

through this glass house of our souls.

Make us whole again."

- Glass House, _Red_

* * *

_'Shit, shit...triple shit,'_ Kenzi was in a mental state of panic and error for the lengthy time that she had been taken a prisoner against her own will. However, the term 'prisoner' wasn't so much applicable when she knew for a certainty that she was going to be made a victim sooner or later. She didn't hold any credited patience, so she couldn't judge how long she had been held up in this rundown, cabin-fever, type shack in. It was old, yes. And abandoned, understandably. She would have made a run for it by now, were it not solely because of the restraints around her wrists and ankles. Apparently being tied down against the length of a long wooden table was a 'thing'. She had seen it happen countless times in horror movies and lets just say she never recalled the 'damsel' getting out alive. The ties were tight around her limbs, making the flesh scraped and raw every time that she moved an inch. "You really don't have to do this, I'm...I'm not even worth wasting time killing...you - you should save the effort, spare yourself trouble!" For about the dozenth time, she was tilting her head back, looking across to the other side of the room, trying to plead with the sadistic school counselor. "You've already trashed my best friend...isn't that enough for you? Please, I've become very attached to my heart...I don't actually want to lose it." Her ramblings continued, and her voice broke into a higher tone of concern when she saw the way that the Fae was laying out various daggers and pointed weapons. None of which looked pleasant - and all of which made the girl want to someone vanish into thin air, "crapballs," she was now back to muttering her usual phrase whenever she was delving into a genuine state of terror.

A deeper chuckle reverberated around the dreary area as the redhead lifted up one of the large culinary knives; the dim line shone on it's stainless blade in such a way that it only appeared more perilous. "Don't be a sad sport about this, you know what I am, I cannot possibly allow you to live." A lot of Fae were never known for sharp intelligence, but on this occasion there had been an exception. The female was admiring the weapon in her hand for seconds more before she turned her attention from the wooden countertops and back to the fragile human. "As for 'trashing' your best friend, I was hoping for a better challenge. I thought that a succubus would be more vicious, but alas, I was wrong. Her feelings for you must have been a great distraction for her, no?" Resorting to using remarks that were designed to emotionally cripple the younger girl across from her, she continued, "if it wasn't for her babysitting you then she might not have been injured so badly, the same goes for that dashing valkyrie, as soon as she saw you in the school, she let her emotions get in the way. My, my, my, that makes you quite the liability to your friends, doesn't it?"

For all the words that had been relayed from the Fae, Kenzi became painfully pensive, maybe being a mortal did make her a handful for the people she cared about. There were truths to the fact that she had been assistant in the cause of both downfalls today; the first when she saw Tamsin get thrown around like a ragdoll, and the second being when she witnessed Bo getting knocked down, time after time, until she was caught in the insanity trance. "Bo was outnumbered, and you cheated! You used your weirdass mind trick on her, how is that fair?"

The girl's growled question and accusations weren't enough to anger the older woman, if anything it only drew a content smirk to her pale lips instead, "I wouldn't call it cheating, it's just fun and games. You should learn that nothing is fair in a battle. You win or lose. Unlike the blonde hothead, I'm not arrogant enough to fight for the sake of my own pride."

"You don't know anything about Tamsin, there is more to her than that. I mean, sure, she's an uptight and unemotional numbskull, but she rescued me once before and it had nothing to do with her pride. She's got a good heart." Kenzi felt as though she was going to be arguing this same point for the rest of her days, so it was fortunate that she was devoted enough to take on the challenge. "Granted, it's been battered by my recently-gone-loony-bestie, but it's still _good_," she mumbled the last sentence under her own breath.

"Then why isn't she here right now? Hm?" The woman pushed at her questions, wanting to make the human girl second guess these supposed loyalties that she installed into her friends. Tormenting a person's trust issues was a delicate and torturous game - which she happened to partake in frequently.

"Because you jacked up my friend on the crazy juice and probably commanded her to act less than subtle," the younger female was frowned as she made another try at pulling on the ropes, but it only brought discomfort.

As the Fae listened to the guess which was hazarded, she felt that an applause should be awarded, but with the knife in her hand she didn't bother, "clever girl, it's true that I have relied on the succubus to charm her way into the valkyrie. Trust me, the blonde is more than likely dead by now. Your friend will have killed her the moment that she was refused."

"You bitch," Kenzi snapped lightly, "screw your logic about a battle, you _are_ a cheater." Now more than ever, she felt her anxiety increase. Looking over the facts, she knew how much the detective cared for Bo - and she also knew how much injuries the detective was also carrying. So putting it into that context, there was every chance that Tamsin would have been overpowered and slain. It wasn't as if the valkyrie was going to fight back against the brunette. No, she cared too much for that.

"It occurs to me that you should be less concerned about the others and more concerned about yourself. All this talk of good hearts is making me hungry," the redhead had ventured close enough until she was able to begin circling around the table, like a predator stalking it's prey, literally, in this case. She rested the tip of the dagger against the young girl's stomach and started to give it a light tour along her torso. The human was attempting to suck in a deep breath to try and use any tactic to get herself away from the weapon's point, but it was to no avail. "It's only me and you here, kid, so feel free to scream as loudly as you desire. I prefer vocality."

"Wow, wow, did I say bitch? Uh, I totally didn't mean that, just put the knife down and we can talk about this, really, I'm Fae-friendly!" The young girl was whining terribly as she felt the jagged edge grazing over her breastbone, to her clavicle. No fatal damage was dealt, but little by little, the woman would put more pressure onto the blade, so much that in time it did begin to leave shallow cuts along the skin.

"I think I have listened to you complain for long enough, it's beginning to give me a headache," the redhead grinned as she pressed the blade against the girl's jaw, making a small nic which drew a wince from her captor, "I'm going to enjoy eating the heart out of you and then maybe I'll finish the succubus off. What do you think about that? After you are dead, your best friend will be joining you soon enough."

Kenzi may have answered if it weren't for the kitchen knife being so close to her bottom lip. She curled her hands into tight fists and closed her eyes tightly. In an event such as this, she did feel that there were tears building, but she didn't want to shed any. Maybe the valkyrie's influence was rubbing off on her, because she didn't want to give this enemy the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She had tried to beg and plead but nothing was working.

Nothing she could resort to was going to save her.

Though she wasn't looking, she could feel the rough sensation of the blade raking back down her chest - until it was pressing upon the area in which her heart was thundering underneath. With each staggering beat, she could feel her flesh pattering into the tip. This was it, wasn't it? After everything she had accomplished in life, it was about to come to a gruesome end. If she was stronger then this wouldn't have happened. She didn't know whether the valkyrie was even alive right now, the last time they had seen one another, well, the blonde had been fighting for her life. And as for Bo, what was going to happen to her? There were so many questions, but evidently there wasn't enough time.

"Say goodnight," the redhead chanted in enthusiasm as she brought the knife up.

As much as Kenzi tried, she couldn't fight the urge to open her eyes, needing to see when the dreaded moment was going to come. The dagger was poised up, looking as though it was about to plunge down at any second. She held her breath, feeling all complexion leave her, all sense of joy and happiness dispersed and she was left hollow and hopeless. Fear epitomized.

Just as she was sure that the woman was going to make her permanent move, the sudden sound of a motor could be heard outside of the four wooden walls. And it put a stop to what was currently going on.

An interruption? The timing couldn't have been closer.

The Fae's eyebrow rose and she glared over her shoulder to the door, with suspicion, "a visitor? How fortuitous..." she stepped away from the table and placed the knife down onto the nearby shelf.

_'Thankyouthankyouthankyou,'_ the words were speeding in the human's head, she felt so faint that she believed she would end up passing out. Literally, she could have sworn that she had been close enough to death that she could've shaken the Grim Reaper's boney hand. Her chest was heaving furiously and she wished that she had a bucket so that she could throw up. Her stomach was doing flips and her legs were worse than jelly. Hell, for all she knew it could have been one of the woman's sons that had arrived. And the probability of that was high, but at least it gave her a further few moments to breathe.

"I'll be back in a moment, my pet, don't go anywhere," the red haired female's pun was barely amusing to anyone other than herself. She kept the vague grin across her lips and then departed out of the front door, allowing the wind to blow it shut behind.

With time and privacy now on her side, Kenzi began to tug and thrash around atop the table, doing everything possible to try and slacken the ropes around her wrists. The friction stung worse than any nettle, but she bit on her bottom lip as a way to hold back any small winces that the pain brought.

Only as her efforts had commenced, there was a brusque smash outside of the shack which startled her to the point where she'd have hit the roof if she wasn't tied down. Her fear melded in with her shock at the fierce collision. She had no idea what on earth had happened, but it served to stop her in all of her actions.

A set of footsteps were closing in, so she braced herself when the front door was opened again. She assumed the worst. Although, in actual fact, the figure that was now in her sights caused her eyes to bulge wide, "Tamsin!?"

Seeing the detective was like a gift sent down from heaven, but better.

"Hey kid, long time no see," the valkyrie commented as though they weren't in a serious life or death predicament. If anything, she sounded normal. And she wasted no time in walking over to the table, wearing a visible frown when she saw the way that her friend was bound against her will.

"I - how are - I thought you were a goner!" Kenzi's watery gaze was flickering all across the blonde's form which only conveyed her disbelief over this unexpected rescue, "wait, what about the Fae? She's right outside...how did you even..."

"I hit her with my truck," Tamsin answered in no great detail, she was more focused on undoing the cursed ropes around the human's ankles first.

Her words easily explained what the loud crash had been about, at least.

"DUDE, I _LOVE_ YOU!" The words burst from the girl's lips in an emotional babble as she tugged her ankles up once they had been freed by the helpful detective. And even when her wrists were being tended to next, she was watching the woman through a gaze of awe and admiration, "is she dead?"

"Probably not, she's a tough bitch, I'll give her that," while giving her short mumbles, the valkyrie pried the remaining restraints from the girl, "are you alright?" She aided her friend in sitting upright and no time passed before she was taking a hold of her cheeks, inspecting her face and chest for injuries - as a mother would do for a fevered child. To her dislike she could see a few light cuts, but there was nothing major.

Kenzi was lost on how to begin giving a verbal response, she wore the same stunned expression on her face, letting the other female check her condition. Her luck had gone from hopeless to hopeful thanks to one person on this planet. Before anything else, she suddenly lunged forward and tossed her arms around the blonde, pulling her in to an exceptionally tight hug. "I was so scared, I thought I was going to die, I didn't think you'd be here, that you would be able to save me," back to ranting on like a bubbly child, she hid her face into the crook of the valkyrie's neck, "I didn't think you would make it."

Caught both mentally and physically, Tamsin hadn't been prepared for the embracing attack, but she sensed the young girl's distress and didn't pose a complaint. If felt kind of nice. She brought her hands up to rub lightly against Kenzi's back, "I'll always be around to save your ass, I'm just sorry that I didn't get here sooner," she wanted to hold no weight to her conscience and so began a confession, "I had a run in with your best friend."

"I know, it was a set up, our Fae friend has messed around with her head, Bo was supposed to seduce you...and then she was going to kill you," the female's words were nearly inaudible as she continued to cuddle tighter around the blonde, treating her as though she was the safest harbor on this earth, "what happened?"

"The seduction worked, unfortunately," Tamsin's voice was one of guilt, she should have been strong enough to resist, but her poisonous pride got in the way, "I thought that if I succumbed to her then when she took my Chi it would heal her broken mind, but that backfired."

"Where is she?"

"Oh, I knocked her out cold," the valkyrie replied bluntly, aware that the human was still clinging onto her, "with a vase...and I'm sorry, I should have raced here as soon as I could. I guess my resistance isn't as impregnable as I thought. I'll have to change that."

Kenzi shook her head, pulling back slightly, she was trying to smile as she rested her hands atop the detective's shoulders, "you're here now, that's what counts," she was quick to forgive the delay, given that her heart currently in tact, "are you alright? The last I saw, you were getting owned in the school corridor, it looked bad, like I'm sure even Super Man would've cringed."

"I'll be fine, but thanks for the reminder," Tamsin placed her hands onto the girl's hips, helping to support her from the table and to her feet, purely in the off chance that she would end up collapsing from the trauma, "you need to get out of here, take my truck, take Bo and drive home. Dyson will be able to keep you safe."

"Wow - no way!" Kenzi protested immediately, giving the blonde a light hit in the shoulder, "I'm not bailing on you, we're a team, we have to stick together and there's no way that I'm going to be driving in a truck with a crazy succubus riding shotgun."

"Good point, we just need to-"

With her instincts kicking off sharply, Tamsin stopped her sentence and instantly took a step to the side, yanking the girl along with her. In a split second, she was left watching as a knife hurled past, landing somewhere in the wall at the furthest side of the room. Had she not moved out of the way, it would have been embedded into her spine, or the human's chest if she hadn't had the initiative to also pull her. The valkyrie's lips drew a thin line and she glared over her shoulder to the door, seeing that it was ajar with a very mangled and irritated looking redhead.

"Your spider sense is on fire, blondie," the Russian commented in a gasping tone as she stared wide eyed at the dagger and then back to the detective - and then, finally, she drew her focus over to the exit of the shack. The problem was standing before them, literally.

"Fancy trick, slamming a vehicle into me," as the rasping Fae clutched at her other arm, which was dislocated at the shoulder joint, she proceeded to limp forward, "but it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that, valkyrie."

Tamsin's hand was resting lightly against the small of the young female's back, making her look all the more protective of her little friend, "I'm just getting started with you. I think you are going to find that your mistake wasn't killing me when you had the chance. It proves how much of a fool you really are."

"Ending your miserable life would have stripped all the fun away, besides, I got a real kick out of playing with your girlfriend." The redhead quipped back, her voice stunningly calm when considering that she had been hit by a vehicle at quite an intense impact. However, it was less of a challenge to see that she wasn't holding herself as strongly as she usually would have, her back was hunched slightly and there was a gash in her head, with blood trickling all the way down one side of her face.

"She's not my girlfriend," the valkyrie's nose scrunched, every time she thought about Bo, she was overcome with a flood of dirty guilt, "you signed your own death certificate the second you even thought about hurting her."

"Ooooh, aren't you romantic? A valkyrie is in love with a succubus, how poetic," the woman was now smirking to herself as she took another confident step inwards, "it just makes my heart skip a beat."

"It's funny you should say that," the blonde moved one hand to the front of her jacket - which she decided to wear upon retrieving her truck - and pried the zipper down. A curious action no less, but she reached in a pulled out what appeared to be a cloth, with something wrapped up inside of it. Callously, she tossed it across the room, seeing that the redhead had caught it as expected. "Your son felt the same way."

Kenzi's eyebrows were furrowing in confusion as she attempted to suss out what was going on, but she settled on watching the Fae unwrap the piece of fabric until, gruesomely, the mystery was solved.

In the school counselor's hands now resided an unbeating heart.

One that belonged to her own offspring.

The female was beginning to tremble in an emotive fury as she stared in horror down to the dead organ in her palms. Even she could sense that it was from one of her sons. She could probably even sense which of them. A mother's intuition and all.

Tamsin noted that this growing rage would soon burst, so she left no time in between. Rushing away from Kenzi's side, she sped across to the redhead and threw her fist forcefully into her jaw, in a straight punch. The impact and surprise made the target stagger back hard into the nearest wall. The heart itself had been dropped to the dusty floorboards. "Did you honestly think that I would let you get away with damaging Bo's mind like that!? You're an idiot! You have sent your family into the damn abyss, because I am going to tear them apart, one by one." Even whilst the other Fae was yet to recover, the valkyrie was insistent on not delaying. She marched further and grabbed a hold of the back of the redhead's neck, hauling her, "you think you're the 'baddest' thing around town do you? Trust me, when it comes to notoriety and complacence, a person like me will bury someone like you," with that she resulted in giving the other female a sharp shove into the wooden counter.

As before, the collision had been so effective that the woman's body crashed through the weaker structure of the furniture.

Kenzi done nothing more than spectate with a look of utter shock slapped across her face. She had seen the valkyrie angry before, sure, but right now she was...cold. _Very_ cold, in fact. The type of personality that could freeze the whole world over.

She assumed that this was the outcome of when Tamsin suffered a wound to her pride as well as finding out that people she cared for had come to some form of harm.

So maybe it couldn't be called rage, maybe...vengeful severity was a better way of putting it. Either way, the young girl didn't feel as though she would be touched at all during this conflict.

"You killed my son!" Finally the redhead recovered and spun around with a glowing look of fury on her face.

"And you were going to kill my friend. Wanna know the difference? I don't hesitate. I ripped the life right out of the boy...after I slashed his throat open." Tamsin's words may have appeared foolish to the untrained eye, but she was using a reverse tactic. It was proven fact that most people were prone to making mistakes when fighting if they were too blinded by their own madness.

"I'm going to take such pleasure in tearing your heart out, you damn valkyrie!" The other woman charged forward and tried to grab a hold of the blonde, although her own wrist was caught in the process which caused her to hiss sharply, "why have you become so strong all of a sudden?"

"Oh, it's less to do with my strength and more to do with your weakness," the detective was holding the female's forearm like a vice, "getting hit by that truck must have really wrecked you up, we're back to throwing even punches now, which reminds me...how is this dislocated shoulder of yours?" After her mock question of curiosity, she moved her other hand and slammed her palm into said joint, feeling the way that the ball and socket popped a little further - which made the Fae howl in agony.

It was debatable as to whether this battle was fair play - but then again, was anything ever fair in war?

This situation was do or die. Personally, Tamsin didn't intend to let herself or Kenzi fall into the latter outcome.

The woman's body was trying to wrench from her hold, so she moved the same hand up and clutched harshly around her jugular where she could feel the veins throbbing wildly under the flesh. There were many arrogant remarks that she wanted to make, but she couldn't settle on something solid. She just wanted to end the nightmare that had been brought upon herself and her companions during the recent stay in this town. She was about to scope her sights around for a weapon of sorts, but before the chance had arrived, she felt the redhead's finger's clamping against her jaw, forcing her to face the front.

"It's foolish of you to underestimate me," the Fae snarled, and the color of her irises began to alter from a mint green into a shade of deepening crimson. It held a rather demonic atmosphere about it.

Tamsin was beginning to frown when she started to feel an increasing weight within her mind, it was as if someone was chipping away at her head with a chisel from the inside and she didn't understand where the headache was birthing from.

Fortunately, Kenzi knew exactly what was going on - given the abrupt gasp to rush from her, "don't look her in the eyes, blondie, that's how she made BoBo go all crazy!"

Finally, sense was brought into the equation and the blonde took a note of what she had been told. The grip on her jaw became tighter, but also, the choking hold she had on the redhead also increased. "This bitch is stealing my move..." Tamsin complained, but it then occurred to her to play fire with fire. Earlier her attempt to use her powers was a failure, understandably though, that was in large part to the denial she had over harming the succubus. With whatever borrowed energy she could muster, she called upon it now. Her own eyes were beginning to darken into their infamous state of gauntness as she glared into the other woman's gaze.

If it was going to be a battle of spirit energy and Chi then she refused to back down from that. The doubt that she was enforcing into the injured female was being met by the same jab of insanity which was also trying to penetrate into the walls of her psyche. It became easier to understand why Bo had been able to fall prey to the technique, it was raw and invasive, probably something that she had never prepared herself for. The valkyrie, thankfully, held a lot of experience under her belt. Physical battles, soulful ones and the emotional kind also. She had been out numbered, she had been apprehended and she had been beaten down, but she also always got back up, always fought twice as hard and always won.

Her record wasn't going to be tarnished, because even though she had lost a conflict today, she had not lost the entire war.

Similarly to when she had used the technique on Dyson, the output of her talent was beginning to make the dim lighting flicker, "I don't believe you know what you are doing," and so came her words of self-questionability and intimidation. Her voice was tense in comparison to the usual smooth flow that she had - because in all honesty she couldn't cope with using strength that she didn't possess. It was burning her up at an extortionate rate.

Kenzi could see the signs of her friend's struggles without fault, "Tamsin, you're not stable enough to use your powers," she may have sounded as if she was pleading, and in a way she was. Looking at the blonde and the redhead in this Fae-on-Fae stand off, she knew that the former had been through too much as it was without having to fight every single battle that came her way. And it didn't help when she remembered that Tamsin must've been going through some serious turmoil in her life. Yes, she could recall witnessing what the valkyrie could do before, just as she also witnessed the toll that it took to the user. It wasn't pleasant.

The moment she saw that the detective was trying too hard, she put her own brain into motion and scurried across to the wooden counter by the door to pick up the kitchen knife which had nearly been her execution weapon not so long ago. She needed to prove to herself that she wasn't just useless baggage that needed protection. The girl crept across to where the two women were, curling her fingers tightly around the metal hilt. Even though she was certain that the blonde would push until she had won, Kenzi didn't want to take the risk of having her do herself further injuries. She counted down three seconds and then came into a slight lunge forward, thrusting the blade into the redhead's side - with an acceptable force.

When the woman had shrieked in agony and wailed, the girl grabbed a hasty hold of the valkyrie's arm and pulled her back to gain some sensible distance.

As a reaction, the recoil of tapping into said powers caused Tamsin's head to feel lighter than a feather, when she was tugged, she partially tripped over herself and staggered back into Kenzi's supportive limbs, otherwise she'd have fallen. Fainting now was an option she fought feverishly against, but her vision was blurring as her features faded back to normality.

"Hey, supergirl, I need you to pull yourself together," the younger female was gripping on tight to the blonde as she continued to back up, offering her full balance to her friend. The Fae across from them was in the process of recovering, prying the dagger out from the open wound. A lack of coherent reply from the detective was concerning enough as it was, "Tamsin," Kenzi tried again, shaking the less constrained body in her arms, "Tamsin, please, I can't do this without you."

"I'm not dead, Kenzi, quit whining." The time for joking may have been inappropriate, but it was a sign that the valkyrie wasn't laying down to die. She was and would always be the type to fight until her last breath.

"Don't go full valkyrie, it's too much for you, you're hurting yourself," the thief was back to begging, capable of seeing the repercussions already. The blonde was panting and coming close to trembling. This was all too much for one woman to handle and perhaps the cracks in the valkyrie's armor were finally surfacing.

She had stretched herself beyond her own means.

"You just worry about getting to a safe distance, leave the rest to me," Tamsin ordered and scolded herself to stand upright, however, when thinking it over, she didn't intend to sound so serious. Almost immediately, she amended her voice to a softer tone and drew her sights to the young girl, "don't look so hopeless, we are going to be fine. I won't lose this time, I promise," concluding through a slight smile, the expression then wiped away as she averted her focus back around to the recovered enemy.

_'How can she smile at a time like this?'_ Kenzi's confusion kept circling in her head as she stalked away from the close vicinity and moved to one of the walls at the further side of the room. Her confidence wasn't anything to be inspired, but she knew that they probably were going to survive. Tamsin had promised.

And Tamsin _always_ kept her promises.

One way or another.

"If you and your pet are done being all mushy then perhaps we can skip to the part where I kill you?" The redhead asked cynically as she tossed the bloodied dagger down to the floor. Her side was gushing crimson and it irritated her, although, it wasn't fatal, otherwise she wouldn't have been so keen to continue.

"You had a chance to kill me once before and you failed, it's not going to happen again. Would you prefer if I mailed your head to your family? Or shall I just send you back to them piece by piece?" Tamsin was smirking as she rolled the sleeves of her jacket up, which was the usual posture a person resorted to when they meant business. "The choice is yours, I'm a fair woman. I'll let you decide which way you'd prefer to die."

"Why make arrangements when you haven't even won yet?" The woman was also using a voice of confidence, yet it sounded more forced compared to the natural flow from the valkyrie. Such a high level of arrogance annoyed her. "I'll tell you what, since you've proven yourself to be a bothersome little charlatan, I won't hold back."

"It doesn't matter whether you hold back or attack me with every fiber of strength you have, I'm still going to win. But, by all means, try your heart out," the blonde's pun was deliberate as she adjusted her stance. If anything this pointless small talk was giving her time to catch her breath back, as well as her stability.

The Fae's cockiness developed into a vicious snarl as she took a hold of her own shoulder and knocked her joint back into it's rightful place. A sharp hiss was all that was given as a show of the fiery discomfort it had brought, but after that, she was trying to flex the muscle and limb around to adjust to it. Being less than human, her recovery rate was exponential. "It's your funeral," the female stated matter-of-factly while she started to flex her fingers. It appeared a random action at first, but in a handful of seconds, the ten nails had expanded in length to approximately six inches. She was now occupying a pestilent set of claws. The type that made the kitchen knife look like a toothpick. But it explained how she was able to cut the hearts from her victims chests without any hassle.

Tamsin's eyes became a notch wider when she saw the way that the woman's talons shone in the light, "...oh..."

"_...shit_," Kenzi finished the remaining half of the sentence as she gaped at the minor transformation that had taken place.

Now she was back to doubting the outcome of this conflict, because generally people who had knives for fingers had a much higher chance of inflicting real damage. She sucked in a deep breath and kept her back to the wall, drifting her gaze back to the valkyrie. It was typical that Tamsin wasn't going to surrender, not even with the odds tipping out of her favor for the umpteenth time. In such a time of crisis, the girl truly wished that she had her best friend here. It didn't take genius level intelligence to know that the blonde would be much more determined if she had Bo around. Although that clearly wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Nope, it just looked as though it was going to be an all-out brawl. "Dude, I'm having some serious Mortal Kombat feelings right over here."

* * *

And at least ten solid minutes later - those feelings of Kenzi's were _just_ as potent.

She had been watching the same showdown, holding her breath whenever things became too aggressive. It was a mess of blood and bruises between the two oppositions. If the Fae wasn't slashing around with her knife-like nails then the valkyrie was throwing her fair share of brutal swings and punches. The confines of the shack had turned into more of a wreckage - which would be hard to believe, but it was true nonetheless. Each of the four walls carried several dents and splintering breaks from where either of the two women had been thrown into. The glass windows were shattered, lamps were reduced to jagged damages on the ground and somewhere in the middle of it all the wooden table had been flipped over. Personally, Kenzi, for the life of her, could not comprehend where her friend was pulling the consistent ability to fight from. Was it reserved power? Or did a person hold a capability of pushing themselves beyond their limits? Whatever Tamsin was tapping into, it was pretty serious stuff.

A survival instinct.

The most basic principle she carried - the desire to live, and to let those she cared for live.

In the next lunge that the Fae had made, the valkyrie barely managed to dodge the attack, which was due to her fatigue kicking in. The claws skiffed along her collarbone, drawing out a slight wince from her. She recovered in less time than usual, but compensated by slamming her palm into the redhead's solar plexus, also knocking her back a few paces.

Both were breathing raggedly and brokenly; hunched just a little.

_'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,'_ Tamsin cautioned herself as she inhaled through heavy motions. Her forehead shone in a light sweat and by now her jacket had been shredded to the point where it was clinging to her body by weak threads. She hadn't been worked this hard in a confrontation in a very long time. It felt like centuries, literally. As to how she could even defend herself, well, she was too arrogant to give in to defeat. Her motivation was heightened, tenfold, when she knew that the succubus and the human were counting on her. She couldn't screw this up. These injuries and battered bones that she suffered from were trivial, her cycle was coming to an end so it made no difference.

In a sense, she considered herself expendable by comparison.

Would she lay down and die? Not a chance. But would she take on all of the heat so that others didn't have to? Absolutely.

"Not bad, you have more fight in you than I first thought," the woman was sounding less exhausted now that a pause had commenced during their scrap, "you got me pretty good with that right hook," she jutted her jaw, indicating to the red flesh that had been left. Both from bruising and blood.

"Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from," Tamsin, in spite of herself, would never back down. This intermission meant nothing to her.

"You're a curious creature, aren't you? I've killed a lot of Fae. Most of them are so predictable, but not you," as the redhead ran her tongue along the crimson which coated her index nail, she began to smirk, "no, I can't read you at all."

"It's deliberate," the valkyrie bit back, giving a partial grin of pride, "I make sure that I have no pattern, therefore, my enemies won't know what to expect. I can't have everyone aware of what I can do. That would be idiotic."

"A smart tactic, but it still won't save you." The female concluded bluntly, allowing her left hand to return to a more human state so that she could slip it into her pocket. She pulled out her phone, drawing her attention away from the blonde, she began to dial in numbers instead.

The detective frowned in confusion, "don't tell me that you're making your own funeral arrangements already."

"I wouldn't dream of giving you the satisfaction. I'm merely upping the ante," the redhead commented through an aloof voice as she held the device to her ear. The expression on her face started to become cheshire-like again.

Kenzi's nose was scrunching in the background, much like her friend, she found it to be rather peculiar that a phone call was being made midway during a battle. It was reckless.

An answer was plainly received when the woman's eyebrows shot up in delight, she didn't say much, "ah, I've got a job for you dear, our valkyrie friend has murdered one of your brothers, so be a good sport, go and kill the succubus-"

Just as the sentence had come to an end, Tamsin's innermost temper had overwhelmed her and she burst forward, throwing her closed fist with an outburst of power into the redhead's jaw. It was an uppercut action that even the most professional boxer would envy and it had the Fae lurching back, the phone flying from her hand and crashing somewhere on the floor.

A crack could be heard and Kenzi couldn't distinguish whether it was from the valkyrie's knuckles or the other woman's chin. The trenchant attack had been enough to make her cringe from where she was standing, currently.

Were it a normal human that had been the target they would either fall into a sore unconsciousness or receive major damage to the case of the skull depending on whether the bone broke.

Unfortunately, in the world of all things Fae, it wasn't enough to cause death, but it had most definitely shocked the misleading counselor. All feeling had been lost in her jaw and it fueled her own rage. Glaring ahead, when able, she launched herself at the blonde, bring her remaining clawed hand down in a deathly swipe. Although, instead of cutting through flesh, she ended up slashing a wooden chair - which Tamsin had rapidly grabbed up in front of her to act as a shield from the assault.

The charged impact had knocked her into a brief stagger, in which she collapsed onto her back shortly afterwards. Her mind was too distressed on the possibility of Bo being tracked and murdered. The succubus had been left on the bed and she wouldn't know that the assassination was coming her way.

"Say goodbye, _valkyrja,_" the red haired woman sneered as she made one last launch at the fallen blonde. Her blood coated claws were pointed in a spear resembling position, aiming to sink directly into her opponent's chest.

However, Tamsin wasn't as helpless as she looked, the second she saw the lunge, she grasped a hold of the broken chair leg that had been lying on the ground next to her. She thrust the jagged tip outward, finding that the woman's pounce done most of the work for her. The Fae's breastbone was impaled by the sharp wood - directly in the heart. Her body crash landed atop the valkyrie's and the weight ensured that the last minute weapon pierced all the way out of her shoulderblade at the back.

No screams sounded, but the redhead was gasping fatally, acting as though she was choking on thin air. It was the destruction of her organ that was causing her gargles and wheezing, to the point where she began to slump down. Ironically, she happened to be her own downfall.

The detective waited until the dying female's form fell heavier onto her own, and then she chose to respond, her cold lips next to the her ear, "goodbye," she uttered and for good measure and churned the large wooden stake, making sure that this fight was finally over. Unlike the first time, the victor was the previous loser.

Luck? Or unfaltering valor? Whatever way fate had looked upon it, a conquer had been won. Nothing else mattered apart from that.

"Oh my god!" Kenzi exclaimed, astonished as she saw what she could only assume was an end to the struggle between the two determined females. She rushed back into the center of the room and crouched onto her knees as soon as she reached the valkyrie. The woman was in the process of nudging the Fae's now-dead body aside, to which the girl rapidly aided her. She didn't gain excitement over handling corpses, but she toughened it out and helped to shunt the recent one over and onto the floorboards.

Having the unwanted weight removed gave Tamsin a chance to breathe again, and also a chance to realize that she had restored her own honor, saved Kenzi and mended the rough patch on her pride.

"Holy smokes, you done it!" The younger girl crawled over, to the degree that she had almost replaced the Fae's position by topping the blonde, "you actually done it!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Tamsin mumbled as she groaned, propping herself up and onto her elbows.

"Come here you wonderfully absurd angel heart!" Kenzi was grabbing at the torn collar of the blonde's jacket while she moved in a planted a slack kiss onto her right cheek, followed swiftly by another...and then another.

"Urgh, Kenzi...what the hell?" The detective's nose was crinkling and her eyes closing as she felt these embarrassing affections that the younger female was paying her with. "If you don't stop then I'll tie you up and leave you here."

"No you won't you big softie, and you know it. You've gone and ruined yourself all over again, just to save my life. You're crazy and you're brilliant," the girl was chirping with a rekindled enthusiasm as she lowered her arms to loop around the blonde's waist in order to help guide her back up to her feet.

"It's nothing really, I wanted to take revenge on her anyway, saving you was an added bonus...I guess." Tamsin took advantage of the support and stumbled back to a stance of standing, her body was aching as always, but she was aware that the nightmare wasn't over yet.

"How can you go from Detective Sweet to Miss Jackass in the space of ten seconds?" The girl didn't expect anything less, if she were being truthful. It was a trait she had taken for granted when she thought that she was going to die, and because of that she had learned to have a newly found fondness for it. But would she tell that to the valkyrie? Ha, maybe when hell froze over. Even though she was the one in better condition, she felt her wrist being taken a hold of and her body becoming a subject to be dragged to the exit of the small building in a pace that could only be called urgent. "Wow, slow down there Tammers, you don't want to strain yourself."

"I've not got time. Bo, I need to get to her - she - you heard the order - I _need_ to get to her." Tamsin sentence made sense in bits and pieces as she sped out of the shack and marched to her dented truck. The vehicle looked as though it had been driven directly through a warzone. It would've annoyed her if her mind wasn't plagued by more important worries. She let go of the girl's wrist and then hauled the driver's door open. The very second that she slid into the seat, she shoved the keys inside the metal slit and made a harsh jerk to the right with her thumb and forefinger. The engine rumbled for two seconds before it cut out. Eyes widening, she repeated her action, but the outcome was the same. Unconsciously she felt that Kenzi was in the passenger's seat. "No, no, no," she grumbled and jolted the key in a harsher turn, the motor ignited longer this time, yet, again, it died, "come on you piece of shit, work," Tamsin demanded as she slammed both hands onto the steering wheel.

The girl next to her jumped slightly at the forced impact, "calm down blondie, you're overworking yourself," she advised, watching the older female through a gaze of sympathy.

"Why isn't the damn engine working? I don't have time to tinker around with this stupid portable trash can," the valkyrie was persisting to try and start the vehicle but nothing was working. She was rushed due to the fact that there was a clock ticking. "Screw it," Tamsin's thoughts altered so rapidly as she got out of the car, "I'll run instead."

"Dude, no way, you're a mess," Kenzi's eyebrow were furrowing in concern and surprise, "look I've been around cars and shit before, so maybe I can fix it. I'm handy when it comes to things like this, believe it or not."

"But what about Bo?" The blonde was pacing back and forth, resting her hands on either side of her head, her voice was coming out in a rough whine. "She might die - what if we're too late?"

With the way the detective was storming around like a lost puppy, Kenzi would've given her a hug of reassurance if she thought that she could get close enough. Oddly, it was endearing to see how lost someone as stubborn as Tamsin was when she was without the succubus. "Okay, you go to the house, I'll fix the truck."

"Kenzi," the blonde said in a voice of soft warning, "I don't like the idea of you staying here on your own."

"I'll be fine, the bitch in the house is dead so it'll just be me. Besides this shouldn't take long to fix. Just go, blondie. I'll meet you back at the house."

"But I-"

"Go," the girl emphasized, sincerely, "I'll be alright."

Tamsin was conflicted, as usual, because she really didn't want to have to leave the young female by herself - but if she didn't do something soon then she could lose Bo forever. The world never gave her guiltless options. "My handgun is in the glove compartment. If you get into any sort of trouble, always aim for the head. I don't care whether it's a teenager or an old woman with a cane. Keep yourself alive. You're no good to me dead."

The girl began to smile, reading between the lines of the blonde's snarky words. She knew that it was Tamsin's arrogant way of saying 'I care about you and I don't want you hurt', but she didn't expect that she would ever hear said honest version like that. It would take a miracle. Inhaling deeply, she slid across into the driver's seat, casting a small glance out of the open door to see that the valkyrie had already turned and started to sprint as if tomorrow was never going to come. Even to this point, she could only assume that the woman must have had some extreme form of adrenaline in her system to keep her going. Anyone else would've dropped dead from exertion, but then again, Fae worked differently, didn't they? They held stamina of a higher kind.

* * *

By the time it had taken the valkyrie to reach the temporary house, her lungs, heart and insides were throbbing all at different rhythms and her head was feeling woozy; her state nauseous and faint. Once this drama was all over she was going to sleep for an entire week, she vowed to herself. Her speedy steps carried her all the way to the front door and she turned the handle, finding that it was still locked. "Thank goodness," she began to mumble to herself as she fidget with the keys in her pocket, "thank goodness, thank goodness," she repeated like a broken record as she slotted the specific cut metal into the poised hole. She was breathing in short pants while turning it, and when hearing the specific 'click', she forced the door open and rushed to the staircase without any thought. Tamsin was running up the stairs, skipping two at a time to lessen the distance, all she could focus on was the succubus. With the home having staying in tact like how she had left it, it minimized the chance of someone else being here, but she couldn't settle on her relief until she had proof that everything was in order. "Bo!?" She called out desperately, twisting and turning on the spot as she made it to the second floor. Her indecisiveness was due to her need to recall which room she'd left the brunette in. The tiredness was creeping up on her more and more, because in a normal condition she wouldn't have appeared so disorientated. When the recollection hit her, she made a sharp turn and bolted down the left side of the hallway. Her steps were so muddled and raced that she came close to stumbling.

Well, actually, she did end up stumbling into the room, clutching onto the doorframe as a last resort to keep herself from tripping completely.

Her sights drew directly to the bed, where she could see that the brunette was groaning as she started to come back to reality. Their last encounter hadn't gone too swimmingly, so hopefully things would have returned back to normality.

"Tamsin? What are you...?" Bo was groggy as she used effort to sit up, her eyelids heavy when opened, "ouch," she grimaced and brought her hand to the back of her head, touching against the sore bruising from where she had been hit, "what is going on? What happened?"

The valkyrie froze up on the spot; stunned.

_'She doesn't remember a thing?'_ Tamsin wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one side, she was thankful that the brunette was herself again, but also, she was overcome with some disappointment that the primal passion they shared, as well as Bo's obsessive confessions were only active in her own memories. "You were attacked and knocked out by the Fae, that's all." She answered through a semi-untruth. There was little point in her trying to say anything else, mainly because she could fathom how she would explain what really transpired.

Bo was silent for a few moments, nodding very slowly, "I see," she replied through a defeated exhale. In all seriousness, she could recall _exactly_ what had happened, but she just didn't feel comfortable telling the blonde that. She knew how wild she had acted around Tamsin and also how enamored she had been. And there was no way she could forget the rude dismissal she had given to her girlfriend over the phone call. That hit home hard. At the time, she was out of her own control, but now that she was fixed, she felt ill with regret and guilt over her mannerisms.

"Don't worry about it, I killed the bitch, but I need to get you out of here," the blonde walked across to the bed and extended her hand as an offering to the other woman, "we don't have much time, a son of hers is probably on his way here to kill you." The explanation was brief, but deserving. When Bo had taken her up on the support, Tamsin helped to pull her up to her feet. Initially, the succubus swayed and so she placed her other hand down by her waist to steady her.

"Thanks," the brunette gave a small smile, holding against the valkyrie's arms softly. Her expression soon dimmed to one of genuine concern now that she could inspect the female closer. "You look like hell," she was beginning to act nurturing as she brought her hands to the blonde's cheeks, fretting over every little cut and scrape that she could see, "Tamsin, I really don't think you should be walking right now."

"I'm as good as gold, quit panicking succulette, you always underestimate me, now lets go." Unlike the succubus, she saw no reason to delay. She couldn't deny that the woman's touch was gentle enough to make her want to collapse into her arms - but she wouldn't do that. As enthralled as Tamsin had been with the insane version of the female, she simply adored this kinder, selfless, version of her more.

This was Bo.

This was _her_ Bo.

As she pulled away and journeyed back to the exit of the room, she felt that the succubus had scooted by her side, taking a hold of one of arms and wrapping it over her shoulder - while her own limb snaked firmly around the blonde's waist. Clearly she wanted to offer as much support as she could. "Let me help you, Tammy, it's the least I can do. You've been through too much, I want to ease your pain."

Tamsin's eyebrow kinked at the way she was being held onto as if she was some wounded soldier in need of rescue. It made her feel weak, but because it was the succubus, she made her exceptions. "Fine, but if you call me Tammy again then you'll be the one needing a relief for pain," she grumbled and wound her arm firmer around the female's shoulder as they walked into the passageway.

"Don't be such a spoil sport, nicknames are fun. What can I call you? Tammers? Detective Hotness? Blonde Bombshell?" Bo teased with a lighter grin. As she looked at the other woman, she let a soft chuckle slip from her lips to see the grimace of unamusement.

"I think that Warrior Goddess would be more suitable, or Champion. Something accurate."

"How about Egotistical Maniac?"

"Hm, how about I knock you flat on your pretty little ass?" Tamsin countered through a snide voice, thankful when they were actually progressing further along the hallway, "I still have enough strength to beat you."

Again, Bo threw her head back, expressing a deeper laugh, "oh, yeah right, you couldn't even defend yourself when I pinned you down to-" Very quickly, she stopped herself, and also paused in her movements as she realized she had single-handedly blown her own cover. Her lips were pursing into a thin line and she lost some color in her cheeks.

The valkyrie was ever quicker to halt her steps, snapping her gaze straight at the succubus next to her, "you **do** remember?"

"I...I don't know what your talking about," Bo was shooting into a state of denial, beginning to unwind her arms from the blonde so that she could march forward, "we need to find Kenzi."

"Bo, hold up," Tamsin limped as fast as her legs would take her, clinging onto the brunette's left arm in order to tug her back around, "you can't just blank me, I'm glad that you've retained your memories, it would be a lot worse if you hadn't. You'd feel like there was some hole in your brain and no one wants that."

"Ha, you're glad that I've 'retained' my memories because you weren't the one who was acting like a lunatic. The things I done to you...I tried to kill you," the succubus was shaking her head, "I stopped you from saving Kenzi - my own best friend. God, I hurt you. I took advantage of you, and you let me."

"Wow, lets not get ahead of ourselves here, I didn't 'let' you," Tamsin was suddenly scoffing now, trying to keep her dignity about her.

"Spare me, we both know that I had my way with you, over and over," the brunette was awfully disappointed with herself, but doubtful thoughts did cross her mind, she glanced up at the valkyrie, painfully, "do you prefer me like that? Am I better for you when I'm acting like some wild animal?"

A frown immediately surfaced over Tamsin's features, causing her to tilt her head, insulted, "I beg your pardon? What in the world are you talking about?"

"You've never let me touch you like that before, you never let me close. But when I'm under some wacky trance...you give yourself over to me. Am I...am I not good enough for you, as myself?"

"Now you're just acting silly," the valkyrie turned her nose up, scowling at the wall next to her, "I let you in because I thought that I could heal your insanity with my Chi. If you can remember everything then you should recall the amount of times that I told you I would fix you; that I needed you to be yourself. So don't give me all of this bullshit."

"So...you regret it all?" Bo didn't intend to confuse the issue, but she was curious as to how the valkyrie's mind operated. By now the entire world had established that Tamsin was a riddle.

"I just regret that I jeopardized Kenzi by falling into your web of seduction. As for the sex itself, it was incredible," the blonde was being straight with her answers, but when she saw the way that the succubus was looking down, she sighed, "although the only reason it wasn't perfect is because I knew that you weren't in your right mind."

At the admittance, a bashful smile crept across Bo's lips and she guided her eyes back to meet the detective's, "really?"

"It's good to have you back, succubus," Tamsin didn't want to say anything else, so she turned and brought her attention to the other side of the hall - where the pair had originally been walking to. Although, unexpectedly, the once clear coast was obstructed by a male in a uniform. Great, another of the Fae gang had popped up at the most awkward time. Why had she not seen him earlier? Well, obviously her attention was glued onto making things right with the brunette.

Bo was smiling at the blonde, but the curl in her lips faded as she followed the woman's gaze, figuring out what the problem was. And from what she could see, it was a male. One of the murderous law enforcers within the town.

"It's rude to barge into a house without knocking first," the valkyrie was scowling as she turned herself around to pay her undivided acknowledgement to the imposter.

"Stand aside, valkyrie, your girlfriend is the one I want." As the male gave an order, he kept a serious air to his actions, keeping a cold glare. Given that he found out that one of his siblings had been murdered, he wouldn't be in the kindest state of mind.

"You can take that request and shove it," Tamsin was growling in that protective way of hers as she tightened her hands down by her sides, "I've killed your brother and mother within the hour, boy, so if I were you, then I would back off."

The succubus was wearing an anxious frown as she looked between the officer and the valkyrie, she didn't particularly like the tension that had been built so far.

"Very well, you leave me no choice." The male uttered a sigh and drew out his gun from behind his back. As soon as he aimed the weapon in front of him, his index finger curled around the trigger and squeezed tightly.

By the look of things, the bullet was intended for the brunette. However, when was Tamsin the type to conform to the ways of fate? She wouldn't start now. The very millisecond that she had seen the gun, she impelled her body to the side, crashing her shoulder into Bo's, pushing her out of the line of fire. The end effect wasn't anything to be envied. Another dose of pain ran through the blonde as she took the bullet. It brought her down to the ground with a solid thud.

Bo stood with wide eyes, horrified at what had just happened. She was sure that her own life had flashed before her, as cliche as that may have seemed. Although, regardless of the whelming shock, she felt her blood run cold the moment that she saw Tamsin fall down to the hard floorboards. A surge of anger and anguish clashed into her. And those feelings took over in an explosion, making her burst right over to the officer before he even had a chance to consider firing a second shot. Fae or not, her hand clamped violently around his throat, whilst her other grabbed at his wrist, twisting the limb in one sharp motion until she heard the painful snap. The male wailed in agony, dropping the gun to the ground in a swell of reluctance. "You bastard," the succubus hissed furiously as her nails dug into the flesh of the man's neck, breaking the skin. She was strangling him to the point where he was forced to stand as tall as he could, otherwise his feet were going to be inched from the floor. He was grabbing at her forearm, gasping to breathe, but she just wanted him dead. She moved her other hand to clutch at his short hair and similar to the action she had taking with his disabled arm, she used both of her hands to jerk his head in a vicious motion to the left.  
Another snap sounded, but this time, instead of hearing an outcry of pain, he became limp and lifeless in the succubus' grapple, so she let him drop carelessly. If one thing she had learned while in this town, it was that these Fae weren't as powerful when they were away from a group.  
Her eyes had been pulsing blue, due to the high point that her temper had been boiling at, but when she averted her sights back over to where the other woman had fallen, she returned to her hazel softness. "Tamsin!" She exclaimed and swept down onto her knees once she had ran back to the valkyrie's side. Blood could be seen on the jacket, and that made the brunette's heart thud in torture. She grabbed at the blonde's cheeks, patting firmly, "Tamsin!?"

At first there was no response, but then a little of the dread was broken as the detective groaned out quiet words, "can't breathe...need cardiopulmonary resuscitation..." her words were a hazy murmur, making her seem as though she was in a dazed state.

Bo was so stricken with worry that she grew confused over the request, but then she abbreviated the term in her head, "CPR? Right... right," she told herself and didn't even think twice before she leaned down and pressed her lips against Tamsin's.

Of course, it had taken about three seconds until she actually questioned on _why_ the valkyrie would need mouth-to-mouth for a gunshot wound.

In embarrassment, she could practically feel Tamsin smirking into the contact.

The succubus' cheeks flushed a bright red as she felt that the valkyrie had quite happily capture her into a small kiss. She pulled back abruptly, staring through a set of wide eyes to the blonde, "are you for fucking real!? I thought you were dying!"

Tamsin's expression was one of pride as she wore a sly grin up to the brunette, "sorry to disappoint you, the bullet only grazed my shoulder, besides, you're dumber than I gave you credit for if you actually believed that I needed resuscitation because of a bullet."

"I can't believe you done that! You are such a jackass! Oh my god, I want to throttle you right now!" Bo had gone from distressed, to enraged, to downright frustrated as she remained crouched by the valkyrie's side.

"Relax, are you forgetting that I saved your ass, _again?_ And you got yourself a free kiss. You should be thanking me," the detective remarked smugly, ever the arrogant one. She could see how wound up the succubus was becoming and it entertained her to no end.

"Oh, there are a lot of things that I would like to do to you Tamsin, but thanking you isn't one of them," the brunette huffed and gave the snarky valkyrie a hit in the shoulder where the bullet had grazed.

"Ouch! Hey, now that's just mean." Tamsin brought her hand over to rub the area that had been struck, crinkling her nose to convey the small discomfort it had brought along with it.

The other female rolled her eyes without any concern, she was miffed and the snide quips weren't doing anything to cool her down, "if you didn't look half dead right now then I'd kick your ass."

"Stop complaining, I saw how brutal you were with that officer. It's thanks to me that I managed to ignite that little fire inside of you," during a slight groan, the valkyrie propped up so that her back was no longer flat against the uncomfortable floorboards, "you've got a lot of power inside of you Bo. If you learned to embrace it, think about how strong you would become."

"You sound like some Japanese ki sensei," Bo huffed and glared at the blonde, both irritated and happy to see that she was her usual self. It would have been much worse if the bullet had landed into a critical area.

"Ki? That would be Chinese actually."

"Great, so not only are you a jackass, but you're a pretentious jackass."

"I prefer the term ostentatious, but whatever." The valkyrie's smirk became more cunning while she used some determination to get herself up to her feet. The movement must have been too fast though, because she suddenly felt much more woozy than she had done throughout the entire day.

"Do you ever quit playing the fool?" Bo asked as she too stood up, trying to be nonchalant as opposed to her previous state of stress and annoyance. Although, when she didn't get some spoiled comeback, she glanced across to the valkyrie, kinking a brow.

As life would have it, the cost of the constant fighting and overworking had finally caught up with Tamsin, it's effects must have settled in during her small rest on the floor. "Bo, I don't feel too great," she had tried to step forward but for once she was the one who nearly toppled. She expected a painful collision with the hard surface beneath her feet, but the succubus had been much to quick, catching her before she ever came close to falling.

"Hey, take it easy," the brunette soothed as she brought the back of her hand to the valkyrie's forehead, "you're burning up, you need to rest, you have put out way too much energy. Your body needs to recover."

"Learn that from your girlfriend, did you?" The detective's automatic reply was always to say something bitter. It was a defense mechanism, to compensate for any vulnerability that she may have been advertising.

"Actually I learned that from you, if survival is the most important thing to you then you have to take care of yourself," the succubus countered with a perfect set of words, rendering the other woman with the inability to argue. She held on firmer to the blonde and began to walk with her to the stairs. "You're so stubborn, Tamsin, you can't take on the world yourself all of the time."

While fending off the drowsiness of her own limbs, the detective made a clumsy approach to the staircase with the brunette, trying to scoff, "says who?"

"Says me. You've given Chi, you've had vigorous sex, you've been shot, you've been thrown around. Is it any wonder that your body is beginning to rebel against you? It's had enough." Bo lectured and began to descend the steps, keeping as close to Tamsin as she possibly could. She was supporting most of, if not all, the other female's body weight.

"You need me to win this, we've still got the rest of the family to take down."

"I don't care about that, I _need_ you alive."

Tamsin reckoned she would have said the same thing if the roles were reversed, she leaned into the brunette, nearly hugging around her in order to take full advantage of the support and guidance that she was given down to the bottom floor of the house. "You and Kenzi can't do this by yourselves."

"Contrary to what you believe, she and I have survived a lot of bad situations. We're not new at this, Tamsin." Bo didn't mind the indirect concern from the blonde, but she also wouldn't pretend to be as naive as it was being assumed. Reaching the flat surface was a blessing for her and it allowed her to focus more on keeping the valkyrie on her toes compared to trying not to trip down the stairs. That would've been both humiliating and disastrous.

"It's not your experience I'm questioning, it's your conscience. Say you come up against one of these Fae and he begs you to spare his life...would you do it?" Tamsin asked in her usual bluntness. When a silence hung in the air, she knew that she already had her answer. "God dammit, you see? This is what I mean, you can't just let an enemy live because they get down on their hands and knees. Believe me, the second you turn your back you will be killed."

"Look, you've been at this game a lot longer than me, I get that. And I can respect it, but I can't afford to believe that no one deserves a second chance," the succubus' morals were as unfaltering as ever. She had a huge heart and she wore it on her sleeve constantly.

"Life is war, succubus, you're not supposed to be everyone's hero, you should look out for yourself - numero uno."

"Is this the valkyrie talking? Or the bounty hunter?"

"I just don't want you to get yourself killed, the world would be pretty crappy without you in it, trust me, my drinking would get much worse," the blonde stated haphazardly and brought her heavy eyes to the open door at the front of the house. She had been counting the minutes in her head, wanting to figure out when the human girl was going to arrive. As she indicated to go outside, she found that she couldn't move - mainly because the brunette was choosing not to go any further. When Tamsin looked back to the succubus, she was puzzled as to the way that the woman was staring at her, "why are you looking at me like that?"

It took seconds until Bo, herself, caught onto the way that she was watching the blonde as though she was the more valuable gift in life. She shook her head and cleared her throat awkwardly, "nothing, it's nothing, lets go."

"Whatever you say," rather than argue on, the detective was too tired, "Kenzi should be swinging by with my wheels soon enough, it'll be better for us to get away from the house. For all we know more Fae could show up."

"So, what's the plan?" The succubus asked as she guided the stumbling blonde outside and into the light of day.

"We get your friend and then we end this nightmare, once and for all."

"And how are we going to do that? There are still at least five of these creeps around."

Tamsin breathed, unsteadily as she diverted her eyes to look down the stretch of the street. A twinge of relief flickered inside of her when she saw that her truck was approaching in the distance, with Kenzi as the over enthusiastic driver. "I'm still working on that part..."

* * *

OH MY GOD, GUYS! I'm so sorry that it has taken me 5736287267263 years to update this chapter. What the hell? I mean, that kinda sucks. Alas my excuse is that I'm taking a holiday to zee USA next week, so I've been doing the usual packing and getting ready. Believe me, I'd rather have been sending out a gazillion chapters to you all instead! xD

Although since it's like a nine hour flight, I'm gonna have loads of time to type. YASS!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this; I seem to have a habit for making Tamsin become a badass anti-hero to the world. Everything she does is for Bo...and Kenzi by the look of things. ;D

Just think, when this Fae family is history - the three of them are still going to have to deal with a lot of drama when they get back home *cough* Lauren *cough*

I really want to get to that part in the next chapter for you! c':

P.s Tamsin is such a player, tricking Bo into kissing her, THAT'S MY GIRL!

(Reviews!)

_ ValkuVauseQueen_ - I can see Bo definitely trying to make this up to Tamsin, in more ways than one. I think she should just totally go and marry her, but I think that'd make Lauren's head explode. ;D  
But you know the good doctor too well, if anyone is going to come in and stir trouble up, then it's definitely going to be her. And I doubt Kenzi is going to be happy if that happens. c':

_TheJojo99_ - I couldn't agree more, Tamsin has always wanted Bo to show some devotion toward her, and when she finally does...she isn't even in her right mind. That is some mega frustration. x]  
But you're right, in Tamsin current state, she isn't doing too well, especially now that her exhaustion has caught up with her. It's going to leave a lot of the work up to the wonderful duo that is Kenzi and Bo. :'D  
Definitely! I love touching on our valkyrie's icy nature and I absolutely adore making her listen to her pride. As soon as someone threatens her, or worse, if they threaten Bo or Kenzi...then they've basically signed up for death. c':  
I think you're right, between Tamsin and Bo, Tamsin would be able to win given her experience and her sheer determination. It'd be a pretty awesome thing to see - kinda like Buffy vs Faith, or Goku vs Vegeta (Yup I watch a lot of stuff xD )

_bruubertolo_ - I feel like Tamsin sometimes, I'll do anything to win, even cheating, mwahaha. I LOVE pleasing you with every chapter that I write, as long as I'm keeping you happy then I'm definitely on the right track. I'm always willing to teach - Oh! We could teach each other, then we'd be super! ;)  
I have to agree, if Bo approached me all crazed-up and totally lustful, then who am I to refuse? ;D  
And it reminded you of an ex-girlfriend who was all paranoiac? Yikes, I feel sorry for yah, I can't imagine that was a blast! x]

_FlipChick23_ - An angry and vengeful Tamsin is one of the worst combinations ever, I'd be running for the hills myself. I'm right there with you, I'd certainly love to have her as a friend on the playground, not only because she is super duper awesome, but she can kick some serious ass! xD

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - I kinda love writing crazy BoBo, like I can just picture her being the perfect-obsessive girlfriend. She'd frustrate the hell outta Tamsin though! ;D  
Collateral damage for the win!

_Snagam80_ - Why hello again, stranger... *Wink*  
I'm glad that these updates excite your email systems, I love keeping technology happy, but not as happy as I enjoy keeping you! ;D  
I quite agree, I take too much thrill out of depicting Tamsin to be a law unto herself. So long as she has her pride and unending need to see another day, she won't let anything stop her. And looking back, I can agree with you. Personally, I can see that as much as she adores Bo, she would have been more inclined to want to save Kenzi due to the life or death matter. I suppose there were three reasons for her not doing so. One being that, well, she was being seduced. Two being that even if she refused she wouldn't have been physically strong enough to fight Bo at the time. And thirdly, she attempted to coax Bo into feeding from her in hopes that she may heal her insanity.  
Sufficed to say...it all completely backfired on her. And our poor Tammy was left exerted, filled with guilt and is now twice as stressed. The fun of being the anti-hero, right? XD  
But I do always love hearing your opinion on the chapters, it's excellent and it does get me thinking a lot.  
Tamsin has certainly tried to redeem herself in the eyes of Kenzi for the earlier slip-up in her actions. What better way to do that than creating utter havoc with the Fae Matriarch? c':

_Puppets' Master_ - Well, how convenient because I don't really rely on clothing too much anyway, yay! It's something Bo and I have in common! ;D *Zooms straight across to you*  
I think our favorite succubus should just sit down and learn from the master, no question about it! :'D  
Haha, I can be awfully persuassive and unlike Bo, I'd actually bring a set of handcuffs with me, just to be certain that you couldn't escape. You see, I like to think ahead when it comes to passionate things. ;)  
Oh, that sounds perfect, because I've always wanted to impersonate Tamsin by saying "Juice me" so this works out very well for us both. x]  
And your excellent quip about the sun has brought a permanent grin to my face right at this very moment - no joke! I LOVE IT, AND I LOVE YOU MORE!


	17. Emotions Torn Asunder

"You are everything I wanted.  
The scars of all I'll ever know.

If I told you, you were right,  
would you take my hand tonight?  
If I told you the reasons why,  
would you leave your life and ride?"

- Ride, _Cary Brothers_

* * *

"Wow, what the hell happened?" Kenzi's voice broke the strained silence as she departed from the driver's side of the truck in a haste of worry. Since pulling up outside of the house, she was baffled as to the way that she could see the valkyrie in dire need of the succubus' support to walk. It might have looked romantic if the two didn't appear as though they had stormed through the gates of hell; especially the blonde. Crimson was her most prominent color as of late. "Don't tell me that you've romped her senseless, BoBo," the girl's joke went unappreciated by her best friend when she caught the image of the brunette's mature eyeroll, "sheesh, I guess not, but I can see that you're back to your normal succu-self. Awesome, awesome, we're actually starting to win this Fae-versus-heroes war." If there was ever going to be an award for an endless rambler, then it would have been presented to the thief that second that she was born. She made her way over to the pair and lent assistance as she came to Tamsin's other side, snaking an arm around her waist to give her even better aid. Finally, being in contact granted her a more accurate idea about how loose the detective was - she didn't feel taut or stalwart as she usually did. No, her body was limp as though she had consumed copious amounts of alcohol. It would have been a more preferable diagnosis compared to the harsher truth that she was simply beaten to the point where she had burned her energy and usefulness to ashes.

The look on Bo's face didn't alter very far from concern, she was not used to handling Tamsin at such a low point. In her opinion, though she would never admit it, the blonde was the strongest person she had ever had the fortune of encountering. She, herself, was powerful beyond normality, but somehow even she felt an air of safety and protection when the vain valkyrie was kicking around. So, what happened when that security was suddenly stripped away? With the detective's depleting state, it seemed as though the strength of the trio was also vanishing. Like a ship that lost it's captain. "Come on Kenz, help me get her into the vehicle."

Whilst the succubus and her loyal little friend were taking a cautious approach when making a guidance to the parked truck, Tamsin wore a small frown, "I'm still awake you know. Stop making me sound like some incapable elder, I can walk just fine, I don't need anyone's help." As she insisted on taking a step forward, she just about tripped over herself, forcing the other two to reaffirm their hold on her.

"Poor TamTam," Kenzi pouted, speaking softly as though the blonde wasn't supposed to hear her. She exchanged a glance of worry with her best friend; both of them giving equal questions as to what they were going to do now. It wasn't as if they were willingly planning to make the valkyrie engage in any more fighting. She had been through a lifetime's worth already, so to speak.

"She's in rough shape," sighing her response, Bo stretched her unoccupied hand out to grab at the door, "it's amazing that she hasn't dropped dead from exhaustion already."

Tamsin began to grumble in a way that suggested she was acting like a bit of a sore loser, "I say again, I _am_ awake, so can you two quit talking like I'm not here? I'm not going to 'drop dead' from mere exhaustion, that would be far too embarrassing." When she had came to the end of her agitated spree, she found that she was being ushered into the passenger's side of the vehicle. Inputting her own effort, she pulled herself onto the seat and slouched back tiredly. The succubus had climbed in next to her, crawling over her lap so that she could reach the adequate space in the middle of both seats. Why she hadn't just chosen to walk around to the other door and then crawl across was beyond the blonde, but she didn't complain. After all, for a few seconds, she had the brunette straddling her lap. And would that ever bother her? Not in the slightest. Although when Bo had successfully gotten across, she gave a mental pout. Despite her need to keep up strong appearances, she fell into temptation and leaned further into the chair, trying to work on keeping her breathing at a stable rate. She knew that Kenzi was in the driver's seat when she heard the door closing.

The succubus was quite happily crouching between both of the females, although her gaze was mainly fixed upon the detective as she brought the back of her hand to press gently at her forehead - as she had done once before. "You're very hot."

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself, succulette," the valkyrie quipped back with no real thought, her flow of speech had become a second nature to her.

"At least there is nothing wrong with her snarkiness," Kenzi mumbled as she slid the keys into the small slot and booted up the engine. She held very little idea as to where they were going to drive to, but staying in the house was too big of a risk now that the Fae knew where they lived, or were living, temporarily. Regardless, she reversed from the parked position and began to navigate the vehicle down the quiet street, at a decent speed. The last thing they needed to give their whereabouts away by racing around town like maniacs. "Maybe we should take Miss Blonde Hotness to the hospital?"

"Ha!" Tamsin scoffed and shook her head, which only served to make her dizzy, "no way, I am not going to have some weakling doctor try to handle me," indirectly, she was probably referring to Lauren, "I've had enough of them for a lifetime," she concluded through a bitter grunt as she looked out of the window.

"Okay, okay, no hospital, gosh, you are the queen of stubbornness," the girl mimicked the blonde's motion by also shaking her head, "so, not to kill this happy reunion of ours, but what are we going to do? I'm all ears for brilliant plans."

The fact that no one immediately implemented something decent as a tactic was less than inspiring. It was the first time that the trio had appeared clueless. Usually Tamsin was the quickest when it came to having a goal in mind, but right now she was just resting and lazily watching the passing buildings and civilians. Her entire body ached even when she breathed, so she knew that she would be outmatched by these Fae. That sheer thought annoyed her to no end. "It's going to be up to you and Bo to do most of the work this time," she started to muse, closing her eyes when she felt the succubus' hand rest on her shoulder, "but I'll still help you."

Bo's brow arched in a confused sort of amusement, "by doing what exactly? Acting like bait?"

"Screw you, Dennis," Tamsin was too drained to even attempt a growl, which probably spoke volumes about her state, "I still have my uses, I'll come up with the plan, but you and Kenzi will be the ones going through with it. Capiche?"

The thief tried to give a quirky smile, but she almost seemed nervous, "so in other words, you'll be like Charles Xavier and we'll be like Wolverine and Jean Grey? Y'know, you're the brains, we're the brawn?"

"You watch too many movies," the valkyrie commented slyly and then brought her attention to the younger girl so that she could nod, "but yes, when you put it like that, I guess it does sound that way."

Listening to the two squabble like a couple of teenagers, the succubus was looking between them, "I'm placing my life in the hands of a valkyrie, huh?" She teased as she eyed the wary blonde next to her, stroking lightly down her arm. It was an unconscious affection, a very tender one at that.

"It wouldn't be the first time, if you trust me then I can-"

"I trust you," Bo interrupted Tamsin's speech with a warm smile, she placed her hand back to her uninjured shoulder and squeezed gently, "_I trust_ you," she emphasized again.

The valkyrie was uncertain as to what she should say in response, she was overcome with a sense of gratitude that the brunette actually had faith in her not to screw this up. It was a heavy burden to have the lives of two women weighed upon her, but she wouldn't do anything to risk their safety. A quiet nod was all she gave before she then tipped her head forward, "drive to the police station, Kenzi, we should check the place out. The other Fae are going to be there, more than likely."

As the request was seemingly accepted, Tamsin looked once at the brunette next to her and after that, she brought her focus to the window again. The time that she had spent in this town had been a flurry of surprises. First and foremost she had never expected that she and Kenzi would have bonded as closely as they had. The girl had somehow weaseled her way into becoming a vital part of the blonde's existence, being overshadowed only by Bo.

Bo was just...everything, wasn't she? Hell, if something happened to her then Tamsin wouldn't ever see the point in life because nothing would come close to comparing. There could be a million succubi, but she only regarded one. The female perched next to her was her one in a million, actually. The valkyrie was breathing slower as she fought to keep herself conscious, she didn't want her injuries to wear her down to the point where she would pass out, but everything was beginning to hurt. The open wounds burned and the bruises made her feel like she had been hit by a train, or twelve. She wanted to believe that she would get a break after this agonizing mission was over and done with, but she wasn't naive. There was already a constant problem waiting back home; Lauren.

Irregardless of what happened here, she suspected that the succubus was going to run with her tail between her legs, straight back to patch things up with the doctor. For all of Bo's recent compassion and tenderness, it didn't change the pattern she had. She acted as though Lauren was the love of her life, so that reason alone was going to be enough for her to run back to the safe harbor of the relationship that she was currently in. The thoughts got into Tamsin's head and continued to fester away to the point where her own hand was clutching firmly enough onto her thigh that her knuckles turned a ghostly white. She was more or less shooting herself in the foot because while she wanted the brunette all to herself, she also wanted her to be happy. Genuinely happy. The type of happiness that people spent years searching for.

The kind that could make someone face every challenge without worry.

She feared that she would never be able to give that to the succubus. How could she try to make someone's life complete when her own was a mess of loneliness and broken things?

"Hey," the succubus was suddenly giving the blonde a nudge with her elbow after noticing that she was in a trance, "you look kind of lost," she observed through the same kind voice that always made the valkyrie shudder, "are you alright?"

"I'm just dandy," the detective answered outwardly.

_'I just don't want to lose you,'_ she thought inwardly.

Her sights were drifting once more, across to the view around. It wasn't much to be admired, but it was quaint.

Apparently she must have been trapped in the confines of her own mind longer than she had thought, because the vehicle was stopping at the turning point of the next corner.

"Here we are," Kenzi announced colorfully as usual, her hands were gripping firmly onto the steering wheel, "the station is at the other side of the street," she further indicated by tipping her head in the direction.

Bo followed the hint and squinted her eyes when she saw the familiar building. She had been here before when she had to fake that she was an eager woman wanting to join the law force. Although it was still a mystery as to why the detective had wanted to come here of all places. Wasn't this a hot spot for trouble? Enemy territory, as it were?

The valkyrie was pulling away from her drowsy condition so that she could take a good look around the area. Slowly but surely her lips were curling into a triumphant grin. "I knew it."

"Uh, knew what?" The younger girl asked as she looked to her best friend and then to the blonde, "am I missing something here?"

"Look," Tamsin pointed forward, indicating to the gas station that was situated next to the building that the small police force were bound to through line of work, "I noticed that the first day we drove through this town. Thank God for my photographic memory."

"Okay...so there is a gas station...? I take it that is supposed to be a good thing?" Maybe Kenzi was a little slower at catching on to whatever suggestion that was being made, but she'd had a rough day so far, everything was processing much slower.

"No - it is a _great_ thing," the blonde exclaimed, sounding more lively, "isn't it obvious? The buildings are so close together, so we blow them both sky high. It's perfect. You and Bo won't have to fight at all."

"What!? Tamsin, you aren't serious." Naturally the succubus had her fair share of problems with this destructive plan that had came into play, she was shaking her head, even when she saw that the other female was beginning to frown.

Indeed, the valkyrie didn't see what the big deal was, wasn't her tactic to win ingenious? It was the type of thinking that could win wars with very little effort. "Of course I'm serious, what's your damage this time? We have a clear shot to end this once and for all."

"My 'damage'?" Bo's teeth were gritting a little, "there are too many innocent people around, we can't risk going for your chaotic idea. Civilians could die. We take our time and we do this slowly, that's our best plan."

"There's a word for a 'plan' like that...oh, now what is it again - ah yes - _shit_," the detective didn't care about speaking her mind, she would argue to her grave if need be, "we get the weak humans out of the area and then we reign down hell upon that station. An explosion radius from those petrol tankards will bring it all down. Even Fae won't be able to survive it."

"No! God, I can't believe you are even considering this, it's madness! We can't rely on your bravado, it's too colossal."

"Stop being such a sissy about this, I know what I'm doing, believe me this plan will work out best for all of us."

"And what if someone innocent bystander gets caught in the crossfire, hm? What if others around die?" Bo's eyes were narrowing as she glared at the blonde, appalled by how callous she could be with something as serious as this.

"I don't care. There are always casualties in war. I'd rather have civilians die than yourself and Kenzi."

"How can you be so blunt about this?"

"Because it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make, Bo. As long as you two are alive then I'll be happy, I really don't give a damn about this sunny town, it could fall into chaos for all I care."

With the argument that the two were having, Kenzi chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying not to say anything. Quite frankly she didn't even think that a joke could break the ice over the tension that had erupted from nowhere. One minute her friends were teasing and now the were having a verbal battle.

The succubus sighed in a frustrated disapproval, "I do care, I'm not going to risk the safety of others, Kenzi, you agree with me, right?"

When the thief had somehow been pulled into the conversation, she felt like a deer caught in headlights and so froze up, staring wide eyed out of the window. "Um, no comment. It's like having my parents arguing. Maaaaaan, I do not want to get caught up in this. You two are the adults, you can sort this out amongst yourselves."

"You see," Tamsin butted in to the debate again, "Kenzi is just being polite because she's your best friend. It's obvious that she thinks my plan is better, she's a smart girl after all."

Bo was beginning to turn red in the face due to the building stress that the valkyrie was coaxing from her, "why does everything have to be about war and destruction with you?"

"Uh, hello, I'm a valkyrie," the detective said offhandedly as she smirked across to the brunette, "you seem to forget that I am _not_ a good person. I have no limitations, unlike you, I can do whatever it takes to win. If you're not willing to do the hard work then stand aside, I'll do this by myself, like I always do." At her conclusion, Tamsin grasped at the handle, preparing to open the door and make good on her words.

Kenzi noticed the attempt of departure and quickly intervened, "wait," she blurted out as she twisted in her position so that she could look at the other two, "maybe Tamsin has a point, BoBo, we just need to make sure that there is no one in the gas station and then we can do this without hurting anyone else."

Typically, the brunette closed her eyes and brought her palm to clasp over her forehead, "I can't believe that you are siding with Tamsin on this one."

Well, the blonde's smirk broadened as she leaned inwards so that her chin was touching lightly against the succubus' shoulder, she whispered slyly in her ear, "sucks, doesn't it?"

"It must be tiring for you to have to be a bitch all of the time."

"Careful now, succulette, you almost hurt my feelings."

Again, the human girl was the one who had to break up whatever disagreement was going on, "look, if we play this coolly then we can get it done without anyone getting hurt, right?"

"Exactly," Tamsin concurred, "it's simple really. Kenzi, you are a sneaky little thing, so I need you to go into the police station and make sure that the remaining Fae officers are in there. You should see five, hopefully. If there are civilians, find a way to get them out, discreetly. And Bo, you can go into the other building and evacuate everyone. Then, boom, the enemies are blown sky high."

"Excellento," the girl was turning off the engine of the truck, more than willing to play her part, "what will you be doing during all of this?"

"Not much, unfortunately, I can't move a joint without my body feeling as though it's about to fall apart. I'll be your eyes and ears, really, I'll take you through it step by step. Both of you." Tamsin reaffirmed as she gazed to the disappointed succubus.

Bo was still at odds with the plan in general, but now that it had been explained in greater detail perhaps she could see that there was a method to ensure that no one else got in harm's way. The blonde was able to sense the hesitation and so altered her position until she was upright, it made her look more sincere, "look, you said that you trust me, right? So lets put it to the test. I know my methods are risky, but this will work. We'll all be fine."

The reassurance was sorely needed at that moment, and the succubus gave a reluctant nod, "alright then, lets see if you're as good as you say you are."

With the plan being basically at a 'go ahead' point, Kenzi opened the door at her side and got out, "I'll take care of the cop business, don't you worry about that, I've got my phone, so I'll keep in contact. Peace out." The girl's enthusiasm was a little entertaining, however, she was eager to get home. Having her life nearly stripped away from her reminded her of how much she took the simple things for granted, such as teasing Dyson or playing her video games to outrageous hours of the morning. She zipped up the front of her jacket, closed the door behind her and began to make her way down the sidewalk. She hadn't even waited to hear opinions or protests from the other two, so at least it proved that she must have held some confidence about her task.

Tamsin kept her eyes on the thief's form, observing her through a protective gaze, yet, her attention was also focused onto the brunette next to her, "what the hell are you doing?" she asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Bo returned, squinting her eyes in confusion at she watched the blonde.

"Why do you always have to second guess me? Haven't I proven myself to you?" The valkyrie's problem became evident very quickly. Once Kenzi had disappeared into the police station she was able to glare at the succubus.

The cold stare sent chills down the brunette like she had never believed, "I respect your experience, but blowing up two buildings is a bit drastic, don't you think?"

"No - it certifies that we will win," the detective countered, "I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize you or Kenzi, I just want to take down these bastards before they all try to attack us. God knows their mother probably taught them well."

"Look, I'm sorry, I don't mean to question you like this. I've just...I haven't met someone as forward as you before. You can make critical decisions without batting an eye," Bo was trying to explain her reasons for being wary, "it's intense and I doubt that I could ever be so calculating."

The valkyrie scoffed and glanced back out of the window next to her, "it's in my nature, I can't afford to hesitate, if I do I die, or others die."

Bo was disheartened by the way that the blonde had chosen to break eye contact, but she distracted herself by focusing on her words instead, "I understand, again, I'm sorry, I should have more faith in you Tamsin, you've saved my ass more times than I can count." With a sigh, she looked out toward the gas station and realized that she should be more focused on upholding her end of the plan. "I'll get to work," she mumbled as she got out from the vehilel, "I hope this works out."

At the end of the statement, the detective didn't intend to respond, she stayed wallow in her own silence as she heard the truck door. The feeling of loneliness swarmed her within the first second, but she adapted to it even quicker and subtly moved her gaze to watched the brunette - whom was now approaching the smaller building with an air of confidence. More or less it was up to the two friends to see this through. As it had been established, Tamsin couldn't do much good other than guide them step by step. This was her chance to witness how effective they were as a duo. From everything she had heard from Dyson, Kenzi had the street smarts whilst Bo was the typical heroine of the piece. Without real consent, her eyes were weighed so much that they were drifting shut. Even though she may have appeared tired and passive, it didn't change the way that she was constantly aching. Valkyries held a high tolerance for pain, especially Tamsin, more than most. She could disguise her discomfort just as a magician could disguise his tricks. Her breathing became slower and slower as she slouched back further into the seat. Seeing as how she basically lived inside of her truck, she was accustomed to resting in less than slumber-worthy positions. It was fair to say that she was something of an insomniac. Sleep didn't come easy for her unless she was drastically under the weather or fraught with injuries, such as she was currently.

Yet, her drowsy drifting was short lived when the phone in her pocket began to vibrate. The blonde's eyes snapped open so quickly that she gave herself a slight headache. She had lost track of how many minutes she had been resting for, but she assumed it would have been about six or seven. Time happened to fly faster when a person's body was beckoning them for rest. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bothersome device, answering lazily, "what's up?" she said in a tired voice, aware that it was the human girl after reading the caller identity.

"I think I've got a way to evacuate the people in this building - apart from the officers," Kenzi explained in a hushed voice, "I've found the central control panel at the end of the hall. How on earth do I cut the power Oh-Wise-One?"

"Riiiight, power, power, power," the detective started to ramble to herself as she racked her exhausted brain for a solution, "there should be a series of switches, yes?"

"Uh huh, yup. Dude, this is totally like Jurassic Park, you know, the whole_ 'Mr Hammond we're back in business'_ scene? You don't think there are any crazed dinosaurs in here do you? Because I wouldn't be cool with that." Speaking of 'rambling', the winner for the award still happened to be the thief.

"Kenzi, rest assured, if there were dinosaurs in the building, your insistent prattling would scare them off. They'd be extinct all over again by the time you finished talking," the valkyrie replied, in dire need of an aspirin, "there should be a yellow switch, flip it. That'll cut off the electricity."

"Sure thing, here we go."

Even though it was sunset, Tamsin was narrowing her eyes, able to set the police station clear enough. She held the phone loosely in her hand, washed over with a feeling of pride when she saw that the lights in the building suddenly shut off. "Good girl," her words were intended to be a quiet murmur, but she knew that the girl would probably hear them anyway, "okay, get yourself out of there."

"Roger." Kenzi stated and cut off from the call in order to follow by the small demand that was made.

More precious minutes past while the valkyrie sat in the vehicle, waiting with a faint apprehension as she eyed the front door of the building. As a few civilians began to depart outside after the recent power shortage, a small grin crossed over her lips - said expression only becoming one of relief when she saw the gothic girl exit last, giving her a very subtle thumbs-up gesture to indicate that the officers were the only ones left inside, probably trying to repair the problem, no doubt. She gave her head a tip to signal for Kenzi to return back to the car, and then she diverted her sights across to the smaller establishment, where Bo was handling things. Again, the timing couldn't have been more astute because she soon saw that the innocent humans who were situated inside of that station were also evacuated; most of them looking dreamy and calm. Obviously the succubus had persuaded them to leave through her ability of charms, which was pretty smart thinking. It made the job a lot easier. The detective didn't even need to call the brunette over, not when she was already making her way across.

So, this was it.

Now all they needed was the big finale, that being the explosion.

As the door to the driver's side opened next to her, she turned her head, seeing the brighter grin of victory on Kenzi's face, "how amazing was I, right? Can I get a high-five over here?" she enthused, raising her hand.

Tamsin quite eagerly responded and brought her palm over to slap lightly against the girl's, making that 'kapow' sound effect for good measure, "you've done brilliantly, who knew that a kid could have such conventional skills."

"I really love how you can wrap a compliment up in an insult, you'll have to teach me that trick sometime."

"I'd be happy to, but it'd be like learning a child how to steal candy, Bo would probably want to kick my ass."

Speaking of, the succubus had just made her way back to the truck, raising a brow as she heard the tail end of the conversation, "I always want to kick your ass," she said as a general point, oblivious to what had been mentioned beforehand, "okay, so what next? How are we going to destroy a building?"

"_Ysabeau,_ have you learned nothing?" The valkyrie rolled her eyes and stretched her hand out to the glove compartment, which she pulled open. First of all, she noticed the gun she stored there was missing, so she assumed that it was still within Kenzi's possession, which she didn't mind. She pressed forward and grabbed the small lighter over instead. It wasn't that she smoked, she just had it as a back-up in case a situation such as this ever occurred. "We light the mother up."

"Oooh, that's cute," Kenzi leaned in, prodding her index finger against the metal lighter, "our valkyrie likes to play with fire."

"I like to 'play' with a lot of things," the blonde answered back without any qualms, "all we need to do is ignite the flame against a little of the petrol and then life will do the rest."

Bo was looking from the two females in front of her as she stood outside the truck, talking through to the open window, "okay and how are you going to-"

Apparently her answer was going to be received before the question was even finished as the door opened and the detective stumbled out, as before, she always came so close to falling down, but the succubus was on alert to catch her, as was Kenzi. If needed the girl would've clutched onto the blonde's belt to keep her right.

But, persistent as ever, Tamsin struggled against the desire that her own body had to collapse. She straightened up and flicked the lid of the lighter open, smashing her thumb down at a strength that jammed the ignited button, "I think I've still got a pretty good shot," as she started to stretch her arm back, preparing to make a throw, she could feel all muscles and nerves in her structure wailing in a white hot protest, but she ignored it all for now.

"Tamsin, you can't seriously think that you can reach the-"

For the second time in the space of a minute, the succubus drew her lips into a thin line as she saw the valkyrie hurl the active lighter with a full force across to the street opposite from them. In doing so, she just successfully strained the hell out of her own body, but it was worth it to see that the item crashed into a small leakage of petrol which she had spied next to one of the pumps.

In no time, the small flame had melded into it and the two fused into one disastrous combination of destruction. The tankard was the first to combust into a raw explosion, soon followed by the next - and then everything came apart in a burst of fire and fatality. Even from here, the heat waves could be felt from the three females. Bo was shielding her eyes, partially looking. Kenzi was gawking like an amazed child who had front row tickets to a 3-D action movie. And Tamsin watched with indifference as the damage aired into the police station. The best was to describe the scene was that it looked as though someone had planted a C-4 bomb in between both buildings. Any of the civilians around were gasping and repeating the over-dramatic, 'oh my god's'. Judging by the whelm of pure horror, they had never seen anything quite as catastrophic as this before. Trust the valkyrie to want to wipe off two priority buildings on the map; one being a refuel for everyone's means of transport and the other being the force of law. There was an abundance of noises suggesting that windows had been shattered, walls had crumbled and structures had collapsed. An array of black smoke was clouding the air around and distant sirens could be heard - from the firefighter services. One of the townsfolk had probably called in, which wasn't surprising.

There was a look of illness across Bo's face as she watched the damage that ensued with the plan. It gave her a clearer indication of what the valkyrie was really capable of. She wasn't certain whether it frightened her or not, but it didn't relax her, that was for sure.

"Now that's what I call fireworks," Kenzi whistled as she tried to see through a squinted sight at the bright flames engulfing the other side of the street. It was intense, but it got the job done. Fae nor human would be able to walk out of something like that alive.

"That is what _I_ call check mate," the blonde amended what the girl had said. She saw no reason for them to linger here now that the job was out of the way, but then, her mind wasn't as sharp as it should have been.

The officers were dead, most definitely, yes, but she had still neglected the final remaining family member; the father. Still, it had not totally clicked into her head yet. Although that all changed soon enough when she caught movement from her peripheral vision.

Bo, whom had been standing outside of the car, was knocked sharply from her feet and onto the ground by the swift attack from the male in question. Seeing as how all eyes were occupied on the catastrophe, no one was paying attention to the quiet side of town. Not even when their beloved mayor was venting out some of his anger onto the three females who had just stolen his bloodline from him. As anyone would assume, he was dressed formally, in a suit and tie. A refined figure. "You three have caused a lot of trouble in my town," he stated in a deeper voice of masculinity as he approached the fallen brunette, "I'd have had you arrested, but you have taken care of that problem, haven't you?"

The succubus was in a dazed status from the hit she had been on the wrong end of, her torso felt wrecked and the back of her head throbbed from the collision with the hard concrete beneath her. She was drunkenly trying to crawl backwards.

"What? No quick rebuke? I am disappointed, I was hoping for a much greater challenge, especially from the same harlots who murdered my wife," as the man continued, he was adjusting the cuffs on shirt, standing in front of Bo.

As this newest confrontation had occurred from nowhere, Tamsin was pressured into performing at least one more time. Her reactions had been too slow to keep up with what had transpired so far. The succubus was being targeted first, which caused her alerts to race higher than ever. "Well, you're challenging the wrong person, asshole," the valkyrie had simultaneously jolted forward while she pulled her trusty dagger out of her pocket. She twirled it and thrust the tip to the man's jugular.

Yet, fate conspired against her, as per usual, his hand snapped up and caught her wrist, "ah yes, the arrogant valkyrie, I've heard so much about you, if you had played your cards right, you could have joined me and my family," he was sighing in a mocking gesture, squeezing the detective's forearm until she had dropped the weapon.

The noise of the dagger clattering to the ground made the blonde wince, "I would never join a group of sick, and quite frankly, pathetic, Fae. You aren't worthy of me." She was giving proof to her own 'arrogance' as had been stated by the male, but it didn't help her condition. His other hand suddenly grabbed her by the throat, hauling her feet up inches from the ground.

All she could feel was a tightening clamping as his digits curled firmer into the skin. And not only that, but he was also beginning to pull her wrist down.

"Such a shame, I do hate having to destroy beautiful things, but I suppose I will have to make an exception this time," the male gave a forced tug on the blonde's wrist until he heard the ball pop straight from the socket. The dislocation to her shoulder caused her to groan in agony, but he was impressed to discover that she truly was too stubborn to scream. A lesser person would have been writhing and crying by now, but the valkyrie was trying to blank out as much pain as her body and mind would allow.

Bo was only regaining her sense of direction and reality, her blurred vision clearing up, only to see the compromising position that Tamsin was held in. Instantly, she knew that the woman had recklessly rushed in to save her, again. It was the reason she was still breathing at this moment.

As for Tamsin, she wasn't in the greatest mood ever, she was too tired to struggle and now that one of her limbs was disabled - much like she had done to the mother Fae's - she was tapped out. Little grumbles and winces were escaping from her as she felt all of the nerves in her shoulder drive her crazy. But the choking that was commencing around her throat was a less than pleasant distraction from it. She couldn't get any oxygen into her lungs and her head was becoming lighter than a cloud. If she looked hard enough, she was sure that she would be able to see the reaper approaching her from the netherworld.

All it would take is one snap and she'd be history.

The succubus had been knocked down too powerfully to be able to rescue her in time.

_'Oh man, I'm a goner,'_ Tamsin wasn't one for doubt, but being on the brink like this, was it surprising that the emotion was crashing into her?  
Her whole world was darkening, but right before she succumbed to total unconsciousness, she heard a loud bang.

Blood splattered across her shoulder and she was shocked to find that she was abruptly dropped to the ground, hitting with a sore thud. The valkyrie couldn't differentiate left from right, so she focused on looking at the male, wanting to figure out what the hell had just happened. He appeared to have a gruesome hole straight threw his skull. And as his body toppled to one side, she squinted to see that her savior was standing a few feet behind them; gun in hand.

Leave it to Kenzi to save the day but shooting the last remaining Fae.

"Did you two see that? I could be a damn assassin! Oh, or a hitwoman!" The girl exclaimed in a voice of surprise that she had even been able to pull of such a tactic. The gun was loose in her grasp, but it was the same weapon that she had taken from the valkyrie's truck earlier when it had been suggested.

Tamsin wanted to say something to the human, anything really, but she only collapsed instead. The last wave of pain that she had experienced was more than enough to knock her out of the game.

"Oh, shitballs," Kenzi clumsily shoved the handgun into the belt of her trousers and raced over to the fallen blonde, much like the succubus had also done.

Being closer, Bo took a hold of the unconscious detective, bringing her to rest across her lap. Her first instinct was to search for a pulse - and she found one, thankfully, but the beats were considerably slower, "she's alive."

The thief crouched as soon as she could, her eyes glinting with a growing worry, "she's going to be alright, isn't she? I mean, valkyries are tough - Tamsin is tough - she'll be alright?"

"Of course," the succubus tried to take on the role of reassurance, "she is just burned out from everything, we need to take her home," she was beginning to sound even more concerned than the girl, which seemed as though it should have been impossible. Bo cradled Tamsin in her arms, stroking along her sides with care as she placed a few light and evidently paranoid kisses along her neck and cheek. "She'll be fine," now she was giving herself some false hope, altering one hand to run through the blonde's hair, "she'll be fine," she repeated throughout the small patterns of affections her lips were paying to the other woman.

"Then I suggest we get out of dodge, because my excellent gun slinging skills have probably brought us more attention that I would've liked," Kenzi explained as she cast a glance over her shoulder. The shot that had been fired had turned a head or two, and with the mayor's dead body, it didn't paint a pretty picture.

So, in that case, she was more than willing to help the succubus move the valkyrie across into the truck.

It was time for them to return home and leave this nightmare behind.

* * *

It was sometime during the long and tedious drive home that the valkyrie started to come to consciousness, she felt like someone had taken a hammer to her head about fifty times, but that was just the perks of playing in the deadly game of hero. She could feel that her body was being supported in another's arms and she assumed that it was the succubus. Actually, she knew that it was her. The scent couldn't be mistaken. Her mouth disobeyed her mind and she tiredly murmured the name, "Bo."

Now that was a mistake because it proved that the other female was the first thing that circulated her overworked brain. She felt the arms circle firmer around her, followed by gentle fingers combing through her hair. When she found enough strength, she willed her heavy eyelids to open. Her sights were a blur to begin with, but she soon adjusted and noticed that she was able to see the brunette's face, simply by turning her head a little. It was the most beautiful image that she had ever had the pleasure of waking up to.

"Hey you," the succubus smiled softly as she kept acting tender with her caresses to the blonde's body, "it's good to have you back," she used similar words that had once been directed to herself, when she had regained her sanity, that was. Throughout the past few hours, they had been on their way home, with the thief driving. Bo was in the passenger's seat, with the valkyrie on her lap. Were the vehicle bigger then there would have been less of a problem, and not to forget the fact that she really wasn't keen on parting with the detective. She must have appeared like some child who wouldn't let go of their most beloved teddybear. Even now, she didn't intend to alter her position. One of her arms was snaked firmly around Tamsin's waist, while her opposite hand was keenly brushing her hair and then stroking her cheek.

"I guess we've left pleasantville behind? What happened?" Tamsin groaned as she tried to sit up, only to have the succubus keep her in place through a protective pull. She expected her dislocated joint to put up a lot of protest against the action, but when she glanced to her shoulder, she saw that it had been popped back into place. Goodness, she must have been out like a light if she had been able to sleep through that.

Kenzi cleared her throat from the side, to indicate that she was still around, "well, after yours truly saved your stubborn ass, we got the hell out of the town as quickly as we could. Like, lightning quick."

The blonde's gaze soon found the human girl at the wheel, and she persuaded her lips to curl into a small smirk, "yes, it appears as though I'm in your debt. You saved my life, Kenzi, and Bo's. I'm not going to forget that. You're quite the little hero, aren't you?"

"Oh, not you too. Bo has already given me the whole mushy 'I love you' speech, I don't need to hear it from you as well, do I?" The thief grinned across to the valkyrie, but then she rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to the road, "look, you don't owe me anything, after the amount of times that you have saved me, it's the least I can do."

"I'm impressed, your aiming has really improved since the last time you held a gun," the detective remarked, however, her words were partially filled with distraction due to the constant way that the brunette was feeling her body; as if to make sure that she was alive and real.

"You see, I can't tell whether that is a compliment or a sharp jibe," Kenzi pouted in a childlike way, "you only stay nice for about five seconds, it's such a buzz kill, you should be kinder to your esteemed hero."

"I'll buy you ice cream," the valkyrie shrugged, making the offer as easily as she could with her raspy voice.

"Well, why didn't you just say so? All is forgiven." It didn't take too much effort to fall back into the thief's good graces. The mention of food or any form of reward was enough to appeal to her in less than a heartbeat.

Bo was being oddly quiet, keeping her eyes only on the blonde, she had been fearful ever since she saw the first signs of bruises on her and it made her realize that she never wanted to see any harm befall her again. She was close enough as it was and so planted another soft kiss to Tamsin's jawbone, "I'm so glad that you are awake, you had us both worried. Honestly, we were freaking out."

The valkyrie didn't know what on earth to say, due to the fact that she was so overtaken with surprise to feel these slight kisses against her - even with Kenzi in the same small vicinity. "You two have no faith, I'm not going to die because of a few lousy Fae. Come on, girls, I thought you knew me better than that. I've been through wars, over and over, this was child's play."

"Speaking of wars," Kenzi's voice became a note higher in pitch, suggesting that she was about to say something that the valkyrie wouldn't like, "doctor no-fun isn't answering BoBo's calls, so guess where we are going..."

"Shit, now I wish I had died," the blonde knew the answer instantly, hence her less than colorful words, "why in the world are we going to visit Lauren?"

Maybe it was a lame question, and it didn't help that she sounded like a complaining young girl, but it was the last thing she wanted to hear upon waking up. It suddenly confused her as to why Bo was acting so 'loving' to her right now if she planned on stopping off to see her girlfriend. The succubus must have clueless as to what she wanted in this life, or who she wanted, may have been more accurate. Tamsin sat upright this time, fighting against the brunette's attempt to keep her from squirming.

"I just need to explain a few things to her, about the way I cut her off - I wasn't really me back then, so I don't want her to think that I hate her," Bo wished that she could clarify things easily in life, but she couldn't. It was always going to be too hard. She had been caught in a triangle of love before, but that was a dream compared to the predicament that she was in now. Her feelings for the valkyrie made her so lost in the world, which was a hint as to how powerful they must have been. But she made a commitment to Lauren and those years of love she had aimed at her wouldn't suddenly vanish overnight.

The afternoon became less of a thrill when the valkyrie finally noticed that they were back in their own town. And more to the point - that the doctor's building was dead ahead. The timing was most definitely cruel. As the vehicle came to a stop, Tamsin knew that she had to do something to stop this new nightmare from coming to pass. She twisted in the woman's lap, placing one hand upon her shoulder, "Bo, please, don't go in there. You don't have to go running back to the doctor, she...she isn't worth it, you're never going to be happy with her."

Kenzi realized that this was a private conversation, so she turned the engine off and very quietly slipped out of the driver's seat and into the outdoors so that she didn't invade on the situation. No, she stood by the side of the truck and puffed her cheeks. In her gut she already knew the outcome. She had seen the doctor and succubus relationship from the start, and she was aware that it wouldn't be thrown in the trash with simplicity. In spite of the blonde's feelings on the matter, Bo was a good person, she wasn't callous enough to just end everything with Lauren.

Bo was stuck on what to say to defend her morals over the matter at hand, her heart felt like it had been crushed with the way the valkyrie was pleading with her, "Tamsin, I know that you think I'm doing the wrong thing, but I need to make things right with her. It's complicated."

"It doesn't have to be, you could...I mean, _we_ could..." Tamsin's words were a jumbled mess of stammering, because she genuinely didn't know what she was trying to say, "I know that you love her, but...does she love you to the same extent? I can't see it, Kenzi told me about Lauren's old girlfriend...Nadia, or whatever the hell her name was, so doesn't that tell you something?"

"That was a complex situation, Nadia was in a coma for years and Lauren worked day and night to save her life, we didn't know what was going to happen back then."

"I bet it made you feel like second best though, didn't it? Knowing that you were chasing someone who already had a lover?" Tamsin's teeth were nearly gritting because of the desperation that she tried so hard to conceal, her words were pretty much applied to her own situation also. It was a real killer.

"Are you telling me that I should break Lauren's heart?"

_'It'd be an upgrade from you breaking mine, so YES',_ the valkyrie would've loved to have run that sentence off, but she respected the brunette too much to do so. "What about **your** heart? You keep talking about the doctor, but what do you want, Bo?"

The succubus was stunned as she looked into the blonde's eyes, which were frantically searching into her own for a truthful answer. It was like Tamsin could read her soul and it made her feel naked. "I want y-" Bo's syllables were all getting caught in her throat, because she was pretty sure that they both knew what she desired to say, but she couldn't. Whether it was out of fear, or hesitation, no one could tell. Perhaps it was even guilt. "I need to go," she said in a voice of breathlessness as she opened the door, carefully sliding herself out from the valkyrie who had grown limp in defeat, "Tamsin, just...just give me some time...please?"

When the blonde failed at returning words, the succubus held a heavy heart as she made her way to the entrance of the doctor's house. Even when she had disappeared inside, the valkyrie was left with that same feeling of loss that she had experienced all of the time lately. She brought her hand up to cover over her eyes and breathing too deeply for her own good. She wouldn't resort to crying at all because it was the one human reaction that she loathed above all others.

"Hey... buddy," Kenzi said sheepishly as she opened the door at the driver's side again, "I'm sorry that Bo is pulling you along on a leash. You know that she doesn't want to hurt you, right?"

"Are you sure? And here I was thinking that she has become some kind of a sadist," Tamsin groaned terribly before she shook her head, "I know. You're right. I do know that she is one of a kind. Her heart is just in a very confused place at the moment. It's not what I want, but I can't do anything about that."

"If it means anything, I'm on your team, I don't hate the Lewis-machine, but I know that you are better for my bestie in every way possible."

"It's too bad that the bitch of a succulette couldn't see things your way," the blonde chuckled bitterly, "my god, Kenzi what the hell am I doing? I am on some pilgrimage to win over Bo of all people. What is wrong with me? Jesus...I hate these crappy emotions, I wish someone could just rip them out of me."

"Oh, I bet the Norn would have been good for that, but I'd miss your sarcasm and wit, as much as it drives me up the wall," the girl said through a small grin as she leaned over one of the seats, "and believe it or not, having you as an empty shell would destroy Bo. She needs you. I know that she doesn't admit it, or even show it, but I also know her better than anyone in this entire world and let me tell you that whenever you are around she is a different person. She doesn't look so lost."

"I wish that I could-" Tamsin stopped speaking when she heard the raised voices from the building in front. With a small frown, she soon got up from the seat and stood onto flat ground. It wasn't advised given her condition but it was what she needed to do.

"Wow there hotshot, where d'ya think you're going?" Kenzi asked, pulling out of the vehicle so that she could walk around to the staggering valkyrie - whom was so obviously heading over to the house. It made her eyes bulge at least twice their size, "Tammers, I'm not so sure that you wanna go in there, it's really not advisable-" Even before she had gotten her warning out, the door had already been opened, with the other woman marching inside, -"well, okay then."

Tamsin was met with the image of both Lauren and Bo midway during a heated debate. The brunette looked distressed, giving away that she had been seeking forgiveness. And the doctor's chest was heaving which was a hint that she wasn't as calm as a person would have assumed from the offset.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" The woman snapped quite sharply as she turned her attention to the entrance.

Sadly, her anger held no real factor of intimidation to the detective, "you left the door unlocked," Tamsin gave a bitter smile as she retorted through her usual smugness, "once I heard all of the noise I couldn't help myself, seeing you two lovebirds argue makes me go all warm and fuzzy inside. It's like Christmas."

Bo was gobsmacked as to the way that the blonde had stormed in and was now rialling the situation even more. She should have seen this coming given how she had handled things back in the car. It was only going to take so long until Tamsin's impatience exploded.

"This is all YOUR fault," Lauren pointed an accusing finger at the valkyrie, "you have thrown a spanner into everything. You try to arrest Bo, you interrogate me in my own house, and yet you are still here, trying to steal my girlfriend."

Tamsin leaned her aching body against the doorframe so that she could chuckle, "if I was trying to 'steal' your girlfriend you wouldn't even have her right now, she would already be mine. Don't flatter yourself doctor, I just happen to be something convenient for Bo."

"Don't say it like that, Tamsin," the succubus whined, as she looked from one female to the next, "you mean more to me than that-"

Oh, Christ, she just said that _with_ her girlfriend in the room, didn't she?

It was like holding a red rag to a bull as the doctor's already infuriated gaze swept over to the now tight-lipped brunette, "I knew that you held feelings for Tamsin."

"But I-"

"For God's sake, Bo, even a blind man could see it! How can we possibly be together when you are chasing after someone else?"

The valkyrie gave her usual scoff in the background, "oh, she hasn't been chasing me, don't you worry about that," her tone may have held slight disappointment, but she chose not to amend it.

"Can you just shut your mouth? You aren't helping matters, you only ever exacerbate life, like an infectious parasite." Lauren barely even took a breath through her insult, although it wasn't entirely unreasonable given the stress that was ricocheting around in the house at the moment. Kenzi was no doubt eavesdropping from outside. "The fact that you are remorseless enough to invade in a relationship is evidence of how weak you really are as a person. There's no true strength of character."

Calling the blonde 'weak' had brought an eerie silence into the building.

"What did you just say?" The blonde's voice was wiped from sarcasm, becoming deadpan as she pulled away from the doorframe, "weak, am I? If you value your life then I suggest you think carefully when you want to aim that word at someone. Because Bo loves you, I'll forgive you for that - _once_. But if you ever say that again, then you might as well prepare your own funeral casket."

The brunette was going numb in the throat over how out of control everything was becoming, she stepped forward so that she was between both other females and shook her head, "please, lets just all sit down and talk this thing through."

"And what is there to talk about?" Lauren asked, irritated as she rested her hands on her hips, "that you have a growing attraction to someone who has less temper control than Satan himself?"

"I take that as a compliment," Tamsin growled lowly as she eyed the doctor. It was a good thing that the succubus was the common ground in this area, otherwise, there may just have been a corpse on the floor by now.

"Tamsin is reckless...and - and cold, she doesn't know the meaning of the word loyalty. Have you forgotten all of the trouble she has put you through Bo? I bet she is just waiting for a chance to lock you behind bars." There was a constant mistrust from the doctor as she looked at her girlfriend.

"If she wanted to ruin my life then why has she saved Kenzi? She...she's gone out of her way to protect me over these past two days, even when I-"

"-when you were 'insane', of course, you always have some excuse, don't you?" Again, there was that perfect example of suspicion coming from Lauren.

Bo's jaw was slack and open as she stared back to the doctor. It hurt that the true events were even capable of belief. This was just her lucky day, apparently.

The valkyrie was wearing a permanent frown, the more this situation annoyed her, the more her blood pressure rose and it made her feel sick to her stomach since she had no energy left to work on. "Despite what you think, she really was under the Fae's power. She didn't even care about saving Kenzi's life, so that should be proof alone."

"...and you just had to run in and be her 'hero', didn't you?" Lauren's question was one of exertion as she shook her head, fed up with these frequent troubles that her relationship had undergone.

"I'm always going to save Bo's life. If you loved her half as much as you claim then I'd think you would be more grateful about that," the blonde countered with a perfect accusation.

It made the doctor's cheeks flare in a brighter shade of red. The anger was terribly apparent, "how dare you insinuate that I don't love my own girlfriend. MY girlfriend, Tamsin, in case you have forgotten."

"I like the fact that you think you can hurt me with words, doc, it's so amusing. You're not strong enough to harm me physically, nor verbally, it'd be easier for you to give up that ghost."

"And I think it's about time that you get out of my house," Lauren pointed across to the door, sternly, as an act of further conviction. She didn't want this problematic situation to plague her any longer.

"Now you're just spoiling all of the fun, I was so hoping to pull up a chair and see how you two resolve this drama," the valkyrie wanted to smirk, but she found that a frown was the only expression willing to rest across her features, for the time being.

The succubus had gone pale with displeasure, bringing her hand to rub along her jaw, frantically, as she kept glancing from the doctor and then to the detective. This confrontation was making her feel numb inside and she couldn't see a way to repair the damage. Although she just didn't know who she should have been focusing on, exactly. Yes, Lauren was her girlfriend and should have came first by obligation, but then, when she looked across to Tamsin, she found that she wished for nothing more than the ability to run into her arms. She wasn't oblivious to the many times she had caused pain to the valkyrie's heart - even if it wasn't her intention. "Stop! Both of you just - stop," the order was blurted from her trembling lips as she tried to keep herself together.

"Make a choice Bo," Lauren ignored the demand by giving one of her own, "it's me or her."

"That's not fair," the blonde took half a step forward, curling one fist down by her side, "you forget that she is a succubus, she is never going to be able to rely on you to keep her alive. My Chi works wonders on her."

"There are plenty more Fae in the world, and I'd much rather have her hook up with a stranger every night rather than watch as she resorts to you."

"You're doing what is best for yourself, not for Bo," Tamsin's eyes became narrow, threateningly, "besides, in all senses I am better for her."

"Try being human, then you wouldn't be good for her at all," the doctor replied, matching the icy gaze that was being cast over her way, "if I was Fae, there wouldn't be any problem, she wouldn't need you at all."

"And if I was human, I bet that I would still be strong enough to give her what she needs." Was arrogance coming back into the equation so soon? Why yes, yes it was.

Lauren took note of that easily and scoffed as if she was speaking to an immature child, "you are only saying that because of your big headed pride, you aren't the best source of healing for Bo."

As the conversation progressed, with the succubus' head feeling as though it was about to explode, more words lashed out of her, "stop making it sound like I am using Tamsin, I'm not, I would never do that. Look, Lauren I know that she plays the bitch card all of the time, but there's so much more to her than that."

"Wow, and just when I thought you couldn't appear anymore fond of her, fine, if she is the one you want to be with then at least make a clean break, you really don't know what you want in life, do you?" In a last act of defeat, the doctor walked across to the succubus and placed both hands against her shoulders, "make a choice Bo, now."

The other female's heart was racing too harshly to be called comfortable as she stared into her partner's eyes. It didn't quite feel like a life or death option.

More like a _death or death_ one.

Either way someone was always going to get hurt, love was such a complicated thing, wasn't it?

Before Bo could even answer, she was caught by a dose of surprise as Lauren leaned in and pressed their lips together. Her kisses weren't as lively as the detective's.

Actually, thinking it over, whenever Tamsin gave her a kiss - she made it feel as though they hadn't seen each other for a million years. Every single time. Not once did she hold back out of kindness or courtesy.

It would have been even more painful for her to have to push the doctor back, so for a fraction of a second she had responded, but then it clicked to her that she shouldn't have, not with the valkyrie in the same room. Why on earth did Lauren have to put her under pressure like this?

Tamsin's palm had been resting atop the door handle, passively, but the very moment she saw a kiss being initiated, she near enough broke it off altogether. The anger that manifested inside of her raised to the boiling point and she could only do so much to keep herself from using her powers. Exhausted or not, already the paperwork on the wooden table was beginning to flutter and the overhead light flickered. It was the most clear sign that she wasn't in total control of the swing of her emotions. Seeing the two of them involved in an affection shouldn't have wounded her as much as it did. The succubus must have sensed the tension it had created because in the next couple of moments she had pulled back, wide eyed and looking as though she had just walked into another world. The valkyrie was about eighty seven percent certain that she was about to destroy something - or someone - and she didn't want to let on the damage that had been caused inside. "Hmph, you women are such a handful," she mumbled, purposely making her eyes roll to give the impression that she was unphased. She turned on her heels and made her way to leave.

"Tam-Tamsin," Bo called out in a surge of panic, her heart feeling like it was in her throat instead of between her lungs, "I need _you_...I need you to stay..."

"Sorry, sweetheart, no can do. If I stay another second in this place I have a feeling the world will be a doctor short." The detective hinted that Lauren had trekked far too close to the mark this time, one more taunt and she would snap. It didn't matter that the brunette's lover was a human, angering a valkyrie was typically a game of suicide for any participant. She exited from the house without any further delay and approached her truck. Kenzi was watching her with a look of pain and guilt - meaning that she had more or less overheard everything that had gone on. "You should stay here kid, something tells me that your best friend is going to need you," she didn't give an order, just fair advice. The valkyrie opened the door to her vehicle and slipped inside, turning on the engine.

"Where are you going?" The thief asked in an act of desperation as she gazed at the blonde through sympathetic eyes.

"I'll be around, somewhere," Tamsin replied in a small sigh as she began to reverse the truck, "just keep an eye on Bo," she added, paying a very small smile to Kenzi before she aimed the transport down the road and began to drive. She didn't consider this to be one of her greatest days. However, at least she could indulge in a long drive to clear her head. Did she blame the succubus? Yes and no. Maybe her feelings clouded her judgement, or perhaps she was developing some moral sense, but either way, she knew the pressure that the brunette was under and she couldn't condemn her for that, no matter how much she may have wanted to. Even as she turned down to the left handside of the road, glancing at the little traffic, she was lost somewhere in her own thoughts.

Ironically, the very second that she had chosen to drive away, it had been the same second that Bo rushed out of Lauren's house, spinning, turning and searching hopelessly in all directions for the valkyrie. To her disappointment she saw the back end of the truck as it progressed down the street. Kenzi had been asking her if she was alright, but her mind was too distracted that it hadn't even registered. "Tamsin!" The succubus called out once, carry a false prayer that it would have changed things, although the distance only increased so she shouted again, "TAMSIN!" Like a woman gone mad, she was beginning to march forward as though she expected that she could catch up to a moving vehicle, but she didn't get too far when she felt Kenzi's arms wrapping firmly around her, pulling her back.

"You won't catch her now, Bo, it's too late," the girl hated to dash her friend's efforts, but it was the truth, the blonde was too out of reach now. Even the nearest taxi wouldn't be able to get to her in time.

The brunette was struggling, somewhat, yet, her actions became weaker and weaker, "I need to get to her, where is she going?"

"I don't know, she didn't say, exactly..."

"Oh, Kenz, this is all my fault, I keep screwing things up with her," Bo pouted miserably and gave up her resistance when she realized that the thief wasn't letting her go.

"Bo, I have one question to ask you. It can decide everything," Kenzi soon unwound her arms from the succubus and stepped around so that they were facing one another, eye-to-eye, "are you in love with Tamsin?"

It may have been unfair to drop the bombshell, but the girl didn't care.

From what she could see, two of her friends were torturing each other from the inside - mainly because they were both stubborn in their own way.

All she needed was one clear answer on how Bo felt.

Just **one** word.

No.

Yes.

If she admitted how she felt then it would change everything, wouldn't it?

* * *

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry X infinity for this later update. Not only was my flight delayed but my folks have been dragging me from place to place, and upon that, I foolishly spent the first night on a sofa bed and let me tell you...sleeping in Tammy's truck would've been way more comfortable. But I've managed to get free time to post this up for you all. I return on the 17th October, just in case you think I've fallen off the planet or been kidnapped by The Wanderer. Although I love keeping you guys entertained so if there is a chance I can snatch anytime in between then I want you all to know that I'll do must best to provide for you. ;D

But I hope you enjoyed the little Bo/Lauren/Tamsin drama at the end, I have a feeling that the good doctor is going to get herself killed if she isn't careful (lol, kidding guys, that'd be really dramatic though, right?) And because I love you all so much, of course I left it with a cliffhanger. It would spoil half the fun if I made Bo answer there and then, wouldn't it? c':

(Reviews! xD )

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - Tamsin is sneaky like that, I reckon she has learned a thing or two from Kenzi. And that CPR trick works pretty well, apparently. Not that I blame her, who wouldn't want a kiss from Bo, right? ;D  
And the Lauren situation has finally occurred, oh my! c':

_BSwifty1997_ - Thank you so much, my lovely! And I apologize for how long it has taken me to do this update. These damn holiday - so time consuming. ;D

_Guest_ - Mortal Kombat indeed, I've always enjoyed Kenzi's witty attitude, so her remarks are so entertaining to write and I'm so glad you like them, my dear guest! x]

_TheJojo99_ - Awh, if you had filed a missing person's report, I'm sure I would've been found very quickly, because even the world can't stop me from giving updates! All of the traveling lately has been a real buzz kill, but at least it's given me time to think on more chapter ideas and whatnot. Although I really miss giving you my usual update within 2-3 days, I NEED to get back to that, because I like making you happy. :'D  
Haha, the drama is definitely unfolding in all of this, and it looks like Bo's world is crashing down around her. Dyson is lucky that he has escaped all of this 'girl' drama that's going around. c':  
I could learn a thing from Tamsin's little tricks, I would love to see her try to trick Bo into kissing her in the show - it would be the best thing ever and my Valkubus feels would be all over the place. But I have to thank you for being so patient with me. I love holidays, but I hate that I can't take time to write this fic, because it's what I enjoy doing most write now. xD

_petronguacomole_ - I wish I could teleport and give you a major high-five right now! Argh, you are always so kind to me and I can't ever express how grateful I am! I'm relieved that I'm doing some justice to Tamsin's cold side, because even though it has been dormant sometimes, it was her distance and anti-hero personality that I fell in-love from the offset. Thank you very much, it is always a pleasure to write for you and I will continue as soon as I can! :D

_FlipChick23_ - Definitely, they are a strong trio and I am sure that they will be able to overcome any odds, as long as they are all true to one another. c':

_xoDollyDeexo_ - *Jumps up and down happily* AGREED! AGREED! November can't come quick enough, I need some Bo/Tamsin back in front of my eyes. It feels like it's been 123828281 years since Tamsin gave the whole 'You're perfect to me' speech to Bo. If they don't end up together, I've given up hope in the Fae world. ;D

_yello13_ - Why hello there, my new and cuddlesome reviewer! ;D  
Let me just say right now that I am eternally grateful and appreciative for what you have just said, it has brightened my day up completely. I'm literally grinning like some goof right now. It's both sweet and flattering to hear how regularly you check for an update - were it physically possible I'd give you one every hour of the day! c':  
I wish that I was a writer of Lost Girl, because then I'd just give you and all my other wonderful reviewers free tickets to visit the set whenever you pleased! Then we could all be happy, mwahah! And thank you so much, believe it or not I'm quite chaste in real life so I end up blushing frantically whenever I delve into writing intimate scenes, but I am so glad that they don't suck! It's a relief really. I'll do a happy dance with you next time, for sure! xD And as for the holiday, I am from Scotland so it takes quite a while to get across to the states, but it is for a family holiday. I usually come out every October which is really neat because I love this place - like I adore Halloween Horror Nights, it's so cool! x]

_Purple - Ketchup_ - Oh, why thank you so much, that's ever so kind of you mon amor! I'll be sure to keep a watchful eye out for any future reviews you might leave. ;)

_Elenadlm_ - Well not to worry because I don't plan on ending it anytime soon (if ever at all! ;D ) so rest assured, I'll be giving you loads more updates! After all, November is coming up soon which means our wait for season 4 is finally over, horaay! x]

_Shelby09_ - Awh, it's so awesome to hear that you loved that part! It was definitely worth putting it in, plus all things considered, the mental image of it kept me smiling like an idiot for about twenty minutes afterwards! xD  
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review, I hope to hear again from you loads more in the future too! :']

_Puppets' Master -_ Well that must be because you are super-duper talented, I mean, I wouldn't get naked for just anyone after all. ;D  
*Ogles you right back, giving a constant and approving nod because of your absolute awesomeness* I knew it, I knew that you were the epitome of perfection!  
And you're right about that, I'm sure we could do much more interesting things than sitting around - like playing strip poker, for instance! c':  
I've always been a fan of handcuffs, so I'll have to borrow a pair from Tamsin, I doubt she'll mind. ;D  
Well, you are too sweet, running toward the stars - how very poetic of you, I must say. The amazement never ceases.  
My non existent collar, eh? I like that -juices you to the max- I'm a giver what can I say. x]  
Ah, you always keep a permanent grin across my face, don't you worry about that. It never fades.  
But as always, thank you so much for all of the support and belief! It's my eternal motivation in this world, so I'm always going to try my best to keep you happy - you are my wife after all! I need to keep you on your toes. xD  
_  
bruubertolo - _I had a feeling that was you, you were just trying to make me put my Sherlock Holmes skills to use. ;D  
Well as for the first thing to teach you, I feel as though we should start with the basics...like learning how to win a succubus over, because then everyone will be happy. And my methods are always pretty creative. c';  
That is a very good point, it's your ex's loss because you are AMAZING! XD  
But I know what you mean, it feels strange not being able to update frequently because of this damn holiday, good lord, it's stripping away my time with you. This is unacceptable, I tell yah! x]

rookie802 - Why thank you very much! I will enjoy it as much as I can, I'll definitely be practicing my American accent, it sounds so cool! I love it! ;D

Snagam80 - Well well, you know me, I love to input as much action in as I can for you! It's what makes life so enjoyable at the end of zee' day, and I'm thrilled that you liked this chapter. Because of Tamsin's depleting state I could just write *she kills them all the end* I need to keep some realism after all, and I had to try and work on a similar line with this current chapter also. Trust Tammy to always rely on her initiative, even if it does cause so much damage around. That woman always leave quite the mess behind her, no? xD  
But thank you, I'm glad you liked the mouth-to-mouth trick that she played because I was grinning all the way through writing it. One way or another, she gets what she wants, eh? c':  
Believe me, I lurves me some Tammy fighting scenes, she is such an ass kicker that it is unreal! I'd always bet on her to win. x]


	18. All The Way

"I can't give it up

to someone else's touch,

because I care too much."

- Infinity, _The XX_

* * *

"So, tell me, why are we going to The Dal this early?" The succubus sulked as she continued her sluggish walk down the concrete sidewalk alongside her younger friend. In her opinion it was far too premature for them to be sauntering to the pub. She had been basking in a longer rest this morning, but it was short lived when Kenzi had so abruptly hauled the covers from her, exclaiming that they had some sort of a job to take care of. Not much else had been said about it so far, hence why Bo was taking the time to ask questions now, it appeared awfully silly to walk into something without knowing maximum details. Her mind had been less than focused lately, and for good reason too. Life was a messy place when love became involved. She constantly felt as though she was on a tight rope, or rather, that she was surviving with a blade against her throat. In other words, one wrong move and it would be over. Her eyebrows were knitted together as she watched the movement of her feet while she paced aimlessly in the direction to her grandfather's establishment.

The thief next to her held more of a bounce in her step. If anything, Kenzi didn't appear half as depressed, but then again, she wasn't the one who held the triangle of doom in her world. "I've already told you, Trick gave me a call and said that there was something wrong. He didn't say anything other than that, I swear, he's like a mysterious little dwarf sometimes," the girl was giving her usual long-winded speech, quirking one brow at the conclusion, "I wonder if he's met Snow White."

Bo rolled her eyes toward her friend's predictable statement, followed by a small headshake, "Oh, Kenzi."

"What? It could have happened, you never know. Fae are real, so anything is possible, just don't eat any red apples, right?" The thief was trying to bring a more cheerful atmosphere between the pair as they walked, but she sensed the same vibe of conflict and sorrow coming from the woman next to her, and it didn't do exceptionally well for their communication skills. It made things awkward and she wasn't comfortable with that. Her hands slipped casually into either pocket of her tight jeans and she puffed her cheeks while proceeding with her light steps, "if I ask you what's wrong, is there the slightest chance that you'll tell me?"

The question had been relayed in an almost innocent way, which drew Bo's attention back into reality and across to the girl next to her. They both knew what the problem was, more than likely. It seemed obvious by now. "It's just...I mean, have you heard from-"

"From missy valkyrie hotness? No. Sorry, I wish I could say that I had," Kenzi answered without any hesitation, mainly because she always assumed that the only thing on the succubus' mind these days was the blonde. As sweet as it was, she always found it sad to an extent, it must have been a form of mental torture all on it's own.

"It's been a week," Bo mumbled, more to herself, "and there has been nothing. I've looked everywhere for her, I've left a dozen messages and asked around all the dark Fae that I could find. It's like Tamsin has just...fallen off the planet."

"Can you blame her?" The thief intervened, although when she caught the way that the brunette had glanced down, she sighed, apologetic for seeming as though she was giving a lecture. "You're my best friend Bo Bo, I'm not taking sides, but Tamsin has been through a tough time lately. The way that you always run back to Lauren must be hitting her hard."

"I'm not trying to hurt her Kenz, sometimes I just...I do things without thinking. Going to Lauren, it's like an instinct, y'know? She has been in my life for so long now that is has become a habit," Bo's attempt at an explanation died down when she realized that it still didn't do much justice. As she kept walking, she mimicked her friend's actions by shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she wanted to focus on the more important aspect again. "Tamsin has been missing for a week. _A week_. No one has heard from her, what if she never comes back? What if she's hurt? Or...or worse? God knows she's probably pissed off dozens of Fae in her lifetimes. How can I possibly focus on helping Trick when I should be out looking for her?"

Kenzi was glancing around from left to right, seeing the way that some civilians they passed would turn their heads due to the succubus' overdramatic words and hand gestures. By the time she looked back around, she could see that the brunette was clutching at her head, all in all, frustrated. "Bo, you need to chill out for a bit, you're worrying over nothing. Our snarky blonde has probably just been cooling off for a while, she was in rough shape, maybe she has been relaxing in the Bahamas."

The succubus frowned a little at the normality in the girl's voice, "I'm being serious about this Kenzi."

"And so am I, you're not the only one who has been trying to find her, but I just don't want to assume that she's dead. No way, after everything I've seen from Tamsin, I'd almost believe that she's invincible."

"But she's not," Bo met Kenzi's gaze, with anxiety, "I'm worried that she pushes herself too hard."

"Okay, can we stop with all of this paranoia for a while? We need to focus on the task at hand," the girl tilted her head to indicate to the entrance to The Dal, which was across the other side of the road, "we can work this out later."

There was a reluctance from Bo's part to begin with, but she soon nodded, "fine, you're right, lets just get this over with," her voice held less enthusiasm as she marched across the street, letting her wonderful little sidekick walk next to her. The traffic was barely existent given the earlier hours of the day, so it didn't take long for the pair to make it safely to the destined side of the road. The succubus' feet automatically led her to the front entrance of the pub and she gripped the handle, waited one second, and then she tugged the door open. Unsuspectingly, the lighting was dim inside, to the extent that she couldn't see much at all as she ventured onwards. The sun only made the first meter or so clear but after that the area was enshrouded in darkness. Kenzi's footsteps behind her were the only reminder that she wasn't alone, her sense of sound was what she was relying on most at the moment. "Stay close to me, I have no idea what is going on here," the succubus ordered as she took another cautious step, "why is it so dark in here? And where is Trick?" Her questions were a quiet whisper under her breath as she tried with all of her might to adjust her eyes to the absence of light. However, the sound of the front door closing caused her to jump a little, startled, even if she had intended to glance back, there would have been no point - because now she truly couldn't see anything at all. Her pulse was starting to pick up and a nervous shiver ran down her back, something clearly wasn't right here, "Kenzi, what is going on?"

At first, there wasn't any response at all, which only doubled the concern, although it didn't take long for the girl to speak up, "you haven't realized yet?" She asked in a feigned dubious voice. Another moment of silence passed before Kenzi made the sudden choice to switch the lights on, exclaiming an energetic, "surprise!"

Bo's confusion swayed when she was suddenly filled with the vision of a slight decoration around the bar, along with the familiar faces of Dyson, Trick, Lauren and Hale. They were all smiling brightly enough, but it was still taking her some time to let reality catch back up with her. She almost wanted to ask what was going on, but the words never left.

No matter though, because Kenzi was immediate to giving answers as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder, squeezing gently, "you didn't think that we would forget about your birthday did you?"

"So this whole thing was a set up?" The succubus was astounded as she peered at her smiling companion. Honestly, she was shocked, but more so exhilarated.

"Duh, of course it was," the girl replied as she gave the brunette's arm a playful pinch, "now come on," she urged as she tugged the older woman over to the counter where the others were.

Amidst the fast pace that everything had suddenly moved at, Bo's lips were beginning to break into a smile, although it was when she approached the bar to a closer degree that she noticed an unmistakable figure by Dyson's shoulder. Someone that had been hidden from the first sweep her gaze had made around.

_Tamsin._

The valkyrie was stood tense and upright, leaning against one of the wooden pillars with her arms crossed over her chest. Her expression was cool and indifferent, as though she had no real interest in this jolly event at hand. When her eyes met the succubus', it felt as though there should have been a crack in the Earth. After all, the hottest and coldest things in the world should never collide.

"Happy birthday, Bo," Dyson said first as he stepped nearer to the succubus, wrapping his arms around her in order to pull her into a hug of courtesy. He could sense the newly found hesitation and uncertainty from her and he already knew that the reason was because of his partner. He didn't need to be Fae to read between the lines in this case. As a suitable time had passed, he pulled away and smiled down to Bo, patting her once on the shoulder before he stood aside.

To be completely truthful, the brunette was only half conscious when she greeted Trick and Hale, her mind was only occupied on wanting to reach the blonde detective at the further side of the room. Out of gratitude, she didn't rush things along, but she also didn't paid her whole attention, therefore she just sported a soft smile and acted as though she was tuned into exactly what was being said. Reaching Lauren was perhaps the hardest part though. Ever since their disagreement they were back to being tense. Bo inhaled slowly as the doctor leaned in and planted a small kiss to her cheek. Unlike before, her expression grew awkward and she cleared her throat, soon shuffling back, "uh, thank you," she began and then shook her head, wanting to extend on her words, "all of you, this is so amazing, I really don't know what to say." Uncomfortable was beginning to become an understatement with the way she was fidgeting around with her hands, glancing to some of the faces and then looking down to her own feet. Somehow she kept smiling, though her cheeks were starting to hurt from the constant effort it took.

"Well, I think it's time to drink," Kenzi announced out of nowhere and then stood next to her unprepared best friend, "say, how about Lauren and Trick get the drinks prepared and then I'll give you my present?" She said the words loud enough so that the hint would be taken by the others. And it must have worked, seeing as how the doctor gave a small nod and then approached the corner of the bar in order to help when it came to fetching the glasses for said beverages. The thief eyed each and every single one of her actions, and when the time was right and Lauren's focus was elsewhere, she took Bo by the wrist and led her to the further end of the room, where a certain blonde was standing; a pariah as always.

The human girl was hardly able to contain the grin that was bursting along her pretty mouth as she closed the distance, "now I think you're going to love my gift to you above everything else, it wasn't easy to come by," Kenzi gave a brief finish to her chirpy words as she released the succubus. She pulled out a red ribbon from her pocket and once she was in Tamsin's presence, she wrapped it around her waist and tied it up into a perfect bow. Afterwards, she gave a simple tug which forced the blonde to take a reluctant step forward. "Ta-da, I present to you my humble gift."

Already the valkyrie's eyes were rolling, the thief was very predictable to her these days, so she should have expected this little practical joke. She glanced down to the ribbon around her with zero amusement.

Bo, on the other hand, just couldn't fend off the need to smile at her best friend's antics, "why thank you Kenzi, it's just what I've always wanted."

"The two of you aren't half as funny as you think you are," Tamsin mumbled lowly as she moved her hands to undo the small knot that had been tied around her. As it came undone, she let the red bow fall down to the ground without shedding the slightest desire to catch it.

Kenzi pouted when her work of art was so quickly disregarded, but she shunted closer to the detective and nudged her in the arm, "hey, don't be so moody, this is a birthday get-together, you're supposed to enjoy yourself."

"I don't know what I'm doing here, it's stupid," the valkyrie came back rapidly, averting her gaze to the brunette, "no offense."

The succubus shook her head, unphased, "none taken, you don't seem like the type who knows how to have fun."

"Oh, I can have fun, I just have...different standards. You like cake and balloons, I like brawls and fisticuffs." The blonde barely touched an ounce of effort into the honesty of her words. She would always lead a dangerous way of life.

"So, you'd rather fight...on your birthday? Is that even sane?"

"A girl has to celebrate somehow, besides, it means I can kick everyones ass and no one can do a damn thing about it...cause it's my day."

The thief's eyes were darting to and from the women, to the point where she realized that they deserved a moment of privacy to speak alone with one another. Her best friend had been so restless this past week and this was the chance she had been waiting for. "Okay, I'm going to...uh, go over there and grab a drink...or something," Kenzi couldn't have been more awkwardly subtle as she stepped away from the pair and ventured back over to the bar, giving them the desired space.

Bo had been watching her friend until she was no longer in earshot, and then she brought her sights back to the valkyrie opposite from her. Finally, she took the time to analyze her. No longer was she covered in blood and bruises, she seemed to have healed up pretty well, which was good considering the horrible life or death state she was last seen in. "Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in a week."

Concern was the only tone that Tamsin could register with and it made her give a half hearted sigh with a careless shoulder shrug to follow, "I needed some peace and quiet. I was having a mighty fine time too, until your best friend dragged me along to this cozy little tea party."

"You're not giving me much answers, Tamsin, where were you? Did you leave town? I don't understand, I've been worried sick," Bo pressed on with her questions and curiosities, although it only resulted in the valkyrie sauntering off toward one of the empty pool tables further back in the establishment. She pursued her, eagerly awaiting explanations.

"Yup, I drove up north, found a decent motel, stayed there for a few days. Nothing to get worked up over, succulette." As the blonde continued to give these thoughtless replies, she approached the table, aware that the other female was following her like some lost little puppy.

"Nothing to get worked up over? I left you a dozen messages."

"You left me fifty three messages, actually."

"And you didn't reply to a single one," Bo pointed an accusing finger at the valkyrie, visibly distressed by the neglection between them.

Tamsin smirked to herself as she picked up one of the wooden pool cues, "gee, some people would take that as a hint," she oozed smugly as she leaned forward, positioning herself in order to take a shot against the colored balls. Only, her chance was scuppered when Bo's hand came down to rest on the rod.

It prevented any chance that the detective held of proceeding with her inappropriate timing of wanting to indulge in a game of pool. The succubus just wanted to fix everything, she didn't even care that it was her birthday. The valkyrie's presence here overrode that fact altogether. It was a dream come true, but as much relief as it gave her, she didn't experience any happiness yet. Although the cold vibe she was receiving was the causer of that. "You leave town, you don't call, you don't write, why in the world are you even here right now?"

As fair questions went, this was definitely one of them. The blonde's eyebrows sunk into a small frown when she became aware that her entertainment was ruined. She released her hold on the wooden cue and pulled back into a straight stance so that she could look across to the succubus. "When I returned to town, Kenzi found me. The kid practically dragged me here," she remarked and her features softened, "and...it _is_ your birthday. I wouldn't have missed it."

"Sometimes it's difficult to even consider that you care at all," the succubus tipped her head as an indication to the blonde in general, "you always become so cold at the end of the day."

"Mm-hmm. It's difficult to consider that I care? Cheap words coming from someone who has a girlfriend less than forty feet away." The way that the valkyrie could bat back stronger remarks was a trait that never failed. She watched the brunette's reaction and saw how she struggled to return anything. Maybe things had become too damaged too quickly. Technically this was a day that was supposed to be dedicated to Bo. Arguing didn't gain high points for cheer and celebration. "Look, forget about it, here," Tamsin tried to change the subject as she reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a refined looking dagger, "this is made of pure silver, it's centuries old and it'll work better than those crappy butter knives of yours." As she held the weapon out for the other female to take, her jaw became tense. Giving gifts was certainly not something that she done often, but this occasion marked as her only exception.

And even though it wasn't the most 'birthday-esque' present ever, the succubus gripped the handle lightly and offered a small smile, "thank you, Tamsin. It's a nice gesture, but you really didn't have to get me anything, I know that this isn't exactly your scene."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, if you're going to fight then you should at least have a decent weapon with you. You're no good to the world dead." The valkyrie folded her arms over her chest once again, somehow she perpetually managed to bring an awkward atmosphere with her, even if she didn't intend to do so. For seconds after that, she pondered on what to say next, especially with the look of puzzlement and perhaps doubt across Bo's face. She hated letting her emotions seep into her conscience. Her hands kept crossed over her torso, with her fingers digging into a tighter grip against her arms. She could sense that the succubus may not have been as happy as a person should during their birthday, and maybe a dagger wasn't the most conventional gift to give someone. It wasn't unique, in the sense that it was something that could be applied to the brunette's everyday life. So that left Tamsin to resort to her second option - which she had both wanted and desired to avoid all at once. "Hold on, I have something else for you too..."

"A gun, perhaps? Machete?" Bo attempted to thwart away the tense atmosphere by making a joke, although she wouldn't put it past the blonde to have another weapon somewhere.

"Ha ha, very funny. I wish it was," the blonde responded as she slid her hand into the inner pocket of her blue leather jacket, rummaging around.

"Really, you shouldn't have gone out of your way like this, you didn't have to get me anything Tamsin."

"I know," the valkyrie quipped back callously before she pried out a smaller item, it wasn't visible given that it was curled in her fist, but when she extended forward and opened her palm out, she revealed this secondary gift to be a necklace of some kind. It held a thin silver chain, with a form of a small pendant. The insignia looked ancient, with indistinguishable markings around it. All in all, it was in the shape of a sapphire teardrop. Tamsin appeared almost reluctant to part with it, but she done so as she placed it into Bo's hand. "It is tradition for every valkyrie to receive one of these necklaces once they have succeeded past a certain stage of their lifespan. I've had this with me for a very long time."

Bo appeared to be listening intently to the story behind the item, casting small glances from it and then to Tamsin. She was awestruck that the woman was even willing to give her something that was so obviously sentimental to her. "It's...it is very beautiful, I don't know what to say..."

"Well, it holds more than just beauty," Tamsin rolled her eyes, trying to regain a sense of pride and arrogance to her actions. She stepped around until she was behind the succubus, and then she reached her hands around and took a hold of the necklace, so that she could sort it around the brunette's neck for her. Meddling with the little catches in chains was such an annoying task after all. But, nevertheless, she continued with her words, "it is blessed, from Valhalla."

"Valhalla?" Bo wanted to turn around, but given her position she was unable to do so. She had never really heard much insight into Tamsin's background, although now she was hearing snippets and names being dropped.

"The one and only," the valkyrie breathed slowly as she kept fidgeting with the chain of the necklace, nearly focusing on that more than her story, "as I was saying, these pendants were given out to each valkyrie as both a prestige and a failsafe."

"How can a necklace be a failsafe?" The succubus scrunched her nose slightly, trying to work it out in her head.

"In layman's terms, as long as a valkyrie is wearing it then if she is injured or near death...it would..." Tamsin paused, wanting to find the easiest path of wording, "it would sort of alert the person closest to her, you know? They'd feel a sudden change in the atmosphere, or some shit like that. I'm not sure exactly, but either way, someone would know and then they could rush in and save the valkyrie's life."

"So, when you were hurt, who came to save you?" Bo asked, trying to keep her tone as one of pure curiosity. She felt a reluctance in the woman's movements from behind which caused her brow to raise higher.

"No one. I was a loner. I didn't get close to anyone, so this necklace was nothing more than a useless trinket to me." Tamsin's answer was strong and yet hollow at the same time as she finally accomplished setting the chain properly.

The succubus was trying to keep up with everything that was being said, although there were elements that continued to confuse her, "why are you giving this to me? It seems like it's valuable to you, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Well, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Most valkyries keep these pendants for their own selfish desire to have something to resort to if they are in trouble, but we have a choice. If we find someone significant enough...we are allowed to give it to them instead, but we can only choose _one_ person," Tamsin was becoming awkward again, trying not to sound soppy about it all, "I want you to have it, so that I'll always know when you are in pain, or in need of saving."

True enough, the closest person to the succubus could have been considered Kenzi, or Lauren even. However, the closest person to Tamsin was most definitely Bo. So in that sense, she would always be active in the spiritual bond that the necklace exhibited between herself and the other woman.

A pause had occurred between herself and the brunette, she found that Bo had craned her head around in order to look back at her. In return, Tamsin was also staring down with one of those depthly gazes. Her heart was on yet another runaway train as she felt the female's hand reaching back to touch her cheek. She didn't want to be presumptuous, but she was pretty certain that she was about to be pulled in for a kiss. The succubus' lips were nearing ever closer to her own.

_'Damn it...damn, damn...'_ The valkyrie was cursing to herself, knowing that she was only going to shoot herself in the foot if she let Bo in close again. She couldn't risk repeating the same mistake for the umpteenth time now. It would all end in anguish for her if she did. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as she found the power to pull herself away, much to the brunette's evident disappointment. "Yeah, that pendant stayed intact for well over five hundred years, so don't break the blasted thing," Tamsin drew together a few dry words as she took another step back, resorting to folding her arms over her chest - out of habit.

Bo was still pining over the loss of contact from the blonde, she could see that those cursed defenses were back up. Oh, joy. She was going to have to tear them down from the valkyrie all over again. "I'm not going to break it, Tamsin. I love it, really, I'll never take it off," she wore a small smile as she brought two of her fingers to pinch delicately against the unusual teardrop pendant so that she could look down and admire it for all it's worth, "thank you."

"Don't mention it, it's not like I had any other reason to hold onto the stupid thing anyway, I hate it," Tamsin was acting stubborn for the sake of it as she glared around, noticing that she and Bo were now being monitored by the suspicious eyes of the doctor from the bar.

"How can you hate something so beautiful?" The succubus asked unconsciously, looking from her latest gift and then returning her gaze to the blonde. Although she could see that the detective had been staring elsewhere, thus, she followed her line of sights and also noticed that Lauren was watching the pair, subtly, with a small frown on the go.

"Believe me, there are many beautiful things in this world that drive me crazy." Hinting indirectly to Bo herself, Tamsin tore her attention away and began to step forward. She'd had enough of this cheer fest as it was. "If one thing, these past few days reminded me that I can survive on my own just fine. I really don't need anything else."

The brunette was unwilling to let their conversation diminish so rudely, therefore she raced behind the walking valkyrie and gripped a gentle hold of her arm, "don't say that, if you want to be alone then why give me a necklace that acts as a bond?"

"Now you're just looking into things too much," the blonde scoffed and shrugged her arm from the woman's hold, "it's a nice piece of jewelry, that's all."

"Oh, bullshit, you were the one who explained about these mystical properties it has - you can't backtrack now." Bo's teeth were beginning to grit.

Boy, it didn't take much for the two of them to start arguing like an old married couple did it?

"For the love of...why does everything have to be so sentimental to you? It is just a gift, it doesn't mean that we are going to get married and have kids, Bo."

"Well, well, what made you think about marriage and children so quickly? Is there something that you're not telling me here, Tammy?"

The valkyrie's cheeks were starting to burn in frustration as she stared down at the smaller female, "fine, you want to hear a secret, I'll tell you one - you're about to get your ass kicked!"

"On my birthday? Gosh, you're such a killjoy, especially after you gave me such a _romantic_ gift." When Bo saw that her words were rialing the blonde, she took a step back, seeing that in turn it provoked the valkyrie into marching one forward.

"ROMANTIC!? It was not!" Tamsin fumed as she began to roll up the sleeves of her jacket. Clearly she was going to make good on her words.

"Hm, are you so sure about that? I almost thought you were going to bend down on one knee and pop the question, you lovesick blonde."

"Right, that does it!" The valkyrie didn't even let a second pass before she made a lunge forward, intending to grab the brunette.

The growing commotion had gone completely unnoticed by Kenzi. She had been quite taken by the bar as she put Dyson through his paces by discussing the difference between himself and Wolverine. It was a topic that the male sadly couldn't escape from, because lets face it, once the girl started on her spree of movies, it was nearly impossible to stop her. She could talk on for hours about things that she liked. In fact, she was preparing to continue on by asking him a lot of 'wolf' based questions - which would probably fry his brain - but as her lips parted, she was distracted by a certain ruckus coming from the other end of the room. Her head turned in the direction and both of her eyebrows shot up when she saw that the succubus and the valkyrie were having a small skirmish with one another. By the look of things, Tamsin had Bo caught in some sort of headlock. It didn't appear violent as such...just roughly playful.

"Take it back!" The blonde was growling as she tried to subdue the other woman by keeping her arms wound firmly around her neck.

"No way!" Bo retaliated as she grabbed at the detective's wrist, tugging and prying in order to free herself. The two of them were making quite the scene as they stumbled and staggered around.

"Bo, I swear to God, I'll make sure you can't walk for a week if you don't take your words back," the valkyrie was unconscious as to the attention that she and the brunette were drawing to themselves at the moment, "I am not romantic!"

The succubus was trying not to grin too much as she began to lower her other hand to press against the back of Tamsin's left thigh, preparing to squeeze the area, "please, I bet you read poetry and listen to classical love ballads."

Before the two of them became anymore heated, Trick scurried forward in a rush of panic, raising both of his hands, "ladies, ladies, what in the world is going on here?" He couldn't have sounded more stunned if he tried. The pair that he was now watching with disapproval looked like a couple of immature teenagers. He was ready to signal Dyson and Hale over to split up this commotion if need be.

However, Tamsin noticed the concern on his face and realized that he was taking their meaningless squabble seriously. "Oh, relax old man. We are fooling around, your granddaughter just likes to play too close to fire." Soon enough she loosened her hold, before releasing it altogether. Taking a step back, she allowed the succubus freedom of movement.

"The two of you 'play' a little too energetically," the owner of the establishment lectured through a heavy sigh as he lowered his arms back down to his sides and paid focus back to the bar now that he knew there was nothing worth fussing over.

"I'm fine gramps, no need to worry," Bo waved her hand forward casually and then she pressed the same palm to her neck so that she could rub against the faint ache that had been left from where the blonde had grabbed her, "valkyries don't know the meaning of gentle." At the end of her words, she cast a bitter smile across to the detective.

Tamsin returned with a broad smirk of victory, "glad to see that you're learning, I guess it's true that wisdom does come with age."

By the time that Kenzi had left her stool and made it across to where the action had been taking place, the scene had ended, so she was pouting, "you guys were wrestling? Why do I always miss out on the fun stuff?"

"Why yes, the two of them seem to have an awful lot of _fun_, don't they?" From the bar counter, Lauren's statement came into play. And unlike everyone else, she didn't hold the air of amusement to her words. There was a dismal underlining to it all. Obvious envy.

The silence that it caused was tense enough to be cut through with Bo's new dagger.

Apparently even the price for the succubus and the blonde having mindless fun was much to high to stray near. The valkyrie was back to giving her usual stern frown as she looked across to the doctor. Even if she was so much as breathing in the same room as the brunette, it would somehow anger Lauren.

"Wow, way to kill a mood," Kenzi cleared her throat and mumbled under her own breath.

Bo had turned extremely quiet, crinkling her nose.

"If you keep glaring at me like that doctor, then I can't promise that I won't attack," Tamsin clicked her tongue and let her eyes glow a little dangerously, "it feels like so long since I've killed something. A girl kinda misses her hobbies."

By one of the other seats, Dyson had just polished off a glass of whiskey. A light grin sat upon his lips and he shook his head, "I don't think there'll be any need for killing partner."

"You've gone soft, wolfboy," the female detective exchanged a glance of amusement with him.

The good doctor obviously wasn't so humored given that it was her life being talked about like some child's game. She exhaled a light sigh and tried to calm herself down. This was Bo's birthday, so she didn't want to ruin it for her. As hard as it was, she forced herself to bite her tongue in order to avoid provoking the valkyrie more.

Although, Tamsin also didn't intend to spoil the day. As long as she and Lauren were in the same vicinity, things weren't going to be easy. One look in the doctor's direction and she was painfully reminded about every single time where she had been the person that Bo always ran too. The thought alone was enough to make the blonde want to cut herself away from everything. Regardless of the light and comical moment she had shared with the succubus, it became overridden by recollections of the past. She squared her shoulders and shook her head. "Whatever, I've done my deed. Happy parties really aren't my forte." Her comment was mild as she straightened out the sleeves of her jacket and traveled across to the front door.

"You're leaving? Just like that?" Bo was flooded with shock, confusion and slight hurt as she sped up behind the blonde.

"Yup, don't take it to heart, but I've got things to do."

Did Tamsin really have 'things' to do? Not a chance. She just wanted to escape the scene in fear that she would be a victim to having to witness Lauren and Bo sharing affections. Over this past week she had been torturing herself, believing that the two were probably beyond the point of reconciling with each other. It made her ill to think about it. As she reached the door, she sensed that the brunette was hot on her tail.

The succubus stretched a hand out to tug at her arm, "what sort of things? Can't you just leave it for a day? We're all friends here."

"_We_ aren't friends, Bo," the blonde commented quickly.

"No, I know that, I didn't mean me and you...I meant in general...as in we're amongst friends," Bo corrected even quicker, puzzling herself halfway through, but she was sure that she had made her point.

"I've said it once, I'll say it again, I don't play well with others. Believe me when I tell you that having me here will only ruin this 'get together' for you."

"Maybe if you try to be nice to everyone once in a while then things would be fine."

"But I'm not a nice person and I won't pretend to be." The valkyrie didn't want to make things difficult but she wouldn't conform to act as anything other than her true self. She brought her hand to the door and looked across her shoulder so that she could see the brunette's face. "You should focus on having a good time with your girlfriend."

Bo's expression stiffened at the use of the term 'girlfriend' and she squeezed tighter against the detective's arm, "Tamsin, I really need to talk with you, it's very important. I've been waiting all week long. It's more of a personal nature...so now isn't the best time."

"Hm, well apparently you're organizing skills suck, you might want to get that looked at." As usual, the blonde was being facetious over the matter.

"Can you stop by my place in the evening? Please?"

"If this is some sort of weird booty call-"

"It's not," Bo snapped very defensively, but then she patted Tamsin's shoulder as a sign of apology, "I promise, I just need you alone."

The detective didn't look convinced about this request, but in the end she shrugged, "sure, whatever, I'll see you later," she stared at the succubus for a few seconds longer than she should have before she used immense will power to pull herself away. Once she had exited out of the front door she didn't dare stare back again. Being inside a room filled with a circle of 'friends' didn't make her feel comfortable, not when she was still the reigning outsider of the group.

* * *

During the second hour that has passed since the valkyrie had left from The Dal, Bo had eventually found an appropriate time to also excuse herself from the building. Even though it was her birthday and a time where she should have been relaxing, she had work to do. It felt like she had been stuck at the bar for an eternity, talking to her friends and grandfather and generally laughing about older events in the past. Yet, as guilty as it made her feel, her mind hadn't actually been active on their discussions. For the most part she had stared at the clock, counting down the minutes until it wouldn't be considered rude for her to just leave. Lauren had suggested that the two of them go out for the evening, so she had relied on making up some last minute excuse that she and Kenzi had already made plans. It was a blatant lie, seeing as how she intended to talk with Tamsin, but she couldn't explain that to the doctor, otherwise she would've been in for an earful and eyeful of more inescapable drama.

The succubus was speeding along the sidewalk at such a brisk pace that she was now resorting to dragging her best friend along with her. After all, what hero ever left their sidekick behind?

"Slow down crazy cat, why did we leave The Dal?" The thief asked between her pants as she tried to keep up with this seemingly inhuman pace. It didn't help that the brunette was too determined to stop.

Bo's eyes were narrowed like a predator searching out prey as she looked everywhere in front of her, "we left because I've got a crisis on my hands."

"A crisis? You're not making much sense Bo Bo, where are we going?"

"It's Tamsin, I invited her around tonight so that I could talk to her," the succubus groaned lightly as she turned around the next corner, gripping firmer around the girl's wrist as she kept pulling her.

"Okay...soooooo? Isn't that a good thing?" Kenzi came close to tripping over herself, but she managed to recover by some small mercy of luck.

"No."

"No?"

A second groan came from Bo as she searched for the right words, "I mean, yes, it is, but this week apart has made her all cold and bitchy again."

"Honey, she has always been cold and bitchy," the human felt as though she was trying to give her best friend a wake up call in regards to the valkyrie's general attitude.

"I know that, Einstein, but I think that all of this absence is making her want to bury her feelings for me."

Kenzi, despite herself, released a chuckle in the background, assuming it to be a joke, but when the pair suddenly stopped walking and she received a glare from the succubus, her own expression dropped clean, "oh, you're serious? Bo, come on, you're just being paranoid."

"Ha - paranoid!" Bo abruptly let go of her friend's wrist so that she could point her index finger at her instead. Now, she was the one laughing, although the sound was more breathless and exaggerated. "Did you see how eager Tamsin was to leave? And - _AND_ - I came close to kissing her back in The Dal, but she broke away like I was the damn plague. I'm telling you Kenz, she's trying to shut me out."

"For the sake of playing Devil's advocate, lets say you're right, Tamsin is trying to move on from you; what are you going to do? Dragging me out of The Dal and down the street with you is hardly going to change things, Bo bear."

"I think it's obvious what I have to do."

"Really?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"So you have a plan?"

"You betcha."

"Then for the love of God, can you please tell me what it is?"

The two of them could have easily gone into some sort of sibling-ish bickering contest, were it not for the girl's way of wanting to get straight to the point about everything. Bo gave one nod and then let a confident smile emerge across her lips. "I am going to win her over. Really, if the valkyrie wants to act stubborn then I am just going to have to blow her mind."

"You are going to have to blow her mind?" Kenzi repeated, tilting her head to one side as she watched her hopeful best friend. She commended the faith on show about all of this. "How are you going to do that?"

This time, the succubus gave a warm chuckle and stepped forward so that she could swing her arm around the girl's shoulder, "Kenzi, Kenzi, Kenzi, if there is one thing I know, it is how to seduce another living, available, body. I promised Tamsin that this wouldn't be a booty call, but I'm going to do everything in my power to keep her from running tonight. Even the Heavens won't stop me from talking to this damn valkyrie."

"Wow, well, at least you're confident," the girl said quietly, trying not to smile too much. It was refreshing to see how keen the succubus was to finally chase after the valkyrie as opposed to how she would normally just run off to Lauren. Maybe this was progress. "Okay, my lurvley bestest friend in the whole Fae world, what can I do to help you?"

Bo was over-joyous by the human's assistance and ended up squeezing her shoulder in a semi-cuddle. "I think it's about time we do some shopping, I need to find something risqué to wear...wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, darling, I think it's about time that you find out how wonderful a shopping experience with me really is. I'll get you exactly what you need." Kenzi was now grinning as she started to walk back along the street with the succubus, already she had several stores in her head that would do justice to her friend's needs. "Just leave it to the Kenzi-machine."

* * *

Well, in a normal circumstance, the average person's birthday always seemed as though it passed by too quickly. However, when you were Bo Dennis - on a day like this - it went by in a heartbeat. Somewhere between hunting through every Godforsaken store in the town and returning to their home, the sun was no longer in the sky anymore. Not from what the succubus could see from the wrecked window frame next to her anyway. It was the evening, but since she didn't give a specific time for the valkyrie to arrive, she had successfully made herself anxious every minute of the ticking hours, waiting for a knock. The succubus was in her bedroom, continuously adjusting the strapless black dress around her body so it hugged to her figure in all of the right ways. Possibly it was foul play to try and make the blonde desire her, but she knew how much Tamsin loved talking, so she prepared herself in the likely case that she would have to charm her into sticking around. Because she was a good eighty-seven percent sure that the detective would want to leave the first chance she got. Bo simply couldn't afford that. She was frowning in concentration as she kept fidgeting with the tightly corset-like design around her torso, doing up the lacing until it made her cleavage perfect eye candy. Luckily, Kenzi had agree to spend some time over at Dyson's apartment for the evening in order to give some privacy to this upcoming event - which was much appreciated. If anything the brunette considered it to be the greatest gift that her friend could have given her today. This evening was important and she couldn't afford to screw it up in the slightest. She had lost the valkyrie too many times to count and these past few days had been emotional agony without her.

Just as she ran her fingers through her untied locks of straightened hair, she finally heard a knock coming from the entrance to the building. Initially it startled her, causing her to jump to one side. Her heart was the next thing to react as it began to tremble strongly in her chest. Even though it had been about six hours since she had last seen the blonde, it felt more like six decades had gone by. Bo didn't wait a second before she abandoned the mirror which she had been standing in front of for too long to even recall. Her feet were routined into leading her directly to the main door to the house whilst her mind was overwhelmed with anxious thoughts about what she was going to do, or say, for that matter. Usually she was the mistress of confidence when it came to dealing with others, but Tamsin unnerved her. She hated the fact that someone could make her feel human like that.

As she came to the daunting door, she was making hopeless attempts to steady her laboring breaths. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. She needed to keep calm. At the end of the day, she was a succubus, she was excellent at seduction, she just had to remind herself of that.

When Bo had summoned up the courage, she took a hold of the metal handle, turned it and then pulled. The door opened with ease, revealing the image of the obstinate blonde on the other side.

In contrast to the brunette, Tamsin's attire was unchanged from this morning. She looked exactly the same. Even her ponytail was just as neat, which was a miracle when taking into consideration that the weather had been windy. Her eyes roamed the other female's figure up and down. Once. And once only. "Do you always dress this fancy in your own house?"

Even the smartass comment was something that Bo was willing to let go of for now, she gave a hearty smile and stood aside to let the detective in, "oh...this old thing? I just threw it on." Were it only that simple. There was no way in Hell she would ever admit that she had spent the better part of the afternoon trying on over twenty different combination of outfits just so that she could find something that would captivate the other woman.

"Uh huh, if you say so," the valkyrie accepted the fake excuse, knowing that it couldn't have been the truth. Bo was trying much too hard, so it made her even easier to read than usual, "by the look of things I'd have guessed that you and the doctor were on some sort of hot date."

"Then you would be wrong," Bo held a hint of pride for once as she reached her hands out, "here, let me take your jacket."

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary, I'm not planning to stay long-"

There was no use in Tamsin continuing her reply when she felt the brunette tug against the zip of her clothing, leaving her with no real choice other than to reluctantly comply. For a moment, she could swear that the succubus was purposely leaning in closer to her. Maybe she was wrong when she assumed that reading Bo would be simpler, because she became puzzled with the way that her jacket was being pulled down past her arms so...intimately. When she intended to take in a deep breath, she was once more baffled by the intoxicating fragrance which the other woman was wearing.

Bo was monitoring everything that she was doing, but more vitally, she kept a closer watch on the detective's reactions. "You should at least stay for a drink or two, I have beer."

"Maybe I can stay for one drink. Just one, Bo." It was unheard of that the valkyrie would pass up the opportunity to indulge in multiple alcoholic beverages, but tonight she was choosing to be responsible. After she was left in her blouse, she should have felt more relaxed, yet, her tension only doubled as she followed the succubus into the living area of the building. She had an enticing view of the woman's form from behind. The dress done her a beautiful justice. Any man would be drooling right about now.

"Just one, huh? That's not like you," the succubus paid a soft smile across to the blonde. Even now, she was unable to gauge how Tamsin felt, or where her aura was at for that matter. It was infuriating to be in the company of someone who she could never read.

"Maybe not, but like I said, I'm not going to stay long," the valkyrie pointed out again, stopping her movements when they came to the couch, "so what is this serious 'talk' that you wanted to have?"

"Well, it's about us." Bo's answer made her own stomach flutter with nerves as she spun around to face the slightly taller female.

An expression of boredom and unappreciativeness rested upon the detective's face, an eyeroll was inevitable. "This should be a relatively short conversation, given that there is no _us_."

"Don't be naive Tamsin," the succubus closed the distance, noting how the valkyrie became tense when they were standing in less than arms reach, "after all we've been through, you can't possibly deny that there is something between us."

"There is nothing between us, you are deluding yourself. Let me tell you the cold truth, you are a succubus and I happen to possess the right kind of energy to keep you alive. Our affiliation is out of convenience alone." The harsh cut that Tamsin was trying to make was the same defense tactic that she had been practicing over the past week. All of the time she had spent on her own rebirthed her need to reform to her old ways. "You have a girlfriend and somehow I've been fooling myself into believing that I have an obligation to you, but I don't. I don't owe you anything."

"So that's it? You're building up those walls all over again?" The brunette couldn't say that she was unprepared for the icy reception, it was something she had unwillingly gotten used to. "I might have difficulty reading you, but I've also learned that you always try to hide your feelings when you are hurt."

"There aren't any feelings to hide, you are chasing after something that doesn't exist Bo."

Tamsin disliked confusing the issue between them, of course she cared deeply for the other woman, but for the sake of protecting herself, she really didn't want to repeat the past over and over. She had enough regrets as it was. Although, surprisingly, she found that Bo had grasped at her shoulders, proceeding to give her an assertive push until she had no choice but to sit down onto the couch. It wasn't the valkyrie's intention to do so, hence why she was close to frowning. On instinct, she made a move to rise again, however, she was simply nudged back down.

"Sit." Bo gave a clear order as she crawled onto the blonde's lap, straddling her without any faults. She looped her arms around the stiff woman's neck, it was easy to see that she was the only one comfortable. Surely there was nothing sinful about using a slight method of seduction against the other female? What options were really left after all? "I've missed you," she whispered into Tamsin's ear, deliberately pressing her chest tighter into hers, "I've missed you so much."

_'Oh, she's good,'_ the valkyrie told herself when she felt the brunette's warm breath bounce against her flesh, shooting shivers all across her spine. One glance down confirmed that she had a less than innocent view of Bo's bust. Keeping to her better judgement, she flickered her gaze away before her thoughts raced to places that she would rather they didn't. Tamsin brought her hands to the succubus' hips as she began to configure a way to try and get herself out of this alluring position. She really didn't want her resolve to falter. "Bo," she said in a voice of small warning.

It was clearly ignored, however, as Bo raked her fingernails down the blonde's neck, "have you missed me?" She was intelligent, therefore, she knew exactly what words to use against the valkyrie. As she decided upon trailing her left hand by Tamsin's collarbone, she repeated musing her gentle words into the shell of her ear, "did you think about me at all?"

"Bo...what are you...why are you doing this?" The detective was commencing to squirm as she fought to keep a confident head. Her fingernails dug tighter into the woman's hipbones, acting as a sign that she was uncertain and struggling.

"I'm not doing anything Tamsin, we are just talking," the succubus murmured and placed a singular kiss to the blonde's jawbone.

"Talking usually involves more words and less actions," the valkyrie protested, feeling tingles along any area of flesh that was met by Bo's lips. Her eyes closed tightly and she was tempted to tilt her head, but she refrained from doing so.

"I can't help it, you just happen to be very...addictive." When Bo began to trail slow kisses, leading nearer and nearer to Tamsin's mouth, she felt that the blonde's hands were starting to roam up to the back of her dress, in that possessive way of hers.

The valkyrie couldn't resist the increasing urge to give up the charade that she didn't care. With the way that the succubus was sweet talking her, it was becoming improbable to act cold. She came so close to tugging at the fastenings on the succubus' dress, but reality was persistent in hitting her. Tamsin soon caught on to the way that she was being lured in. As easy as it would be for her to surrender and go with wherever Bo wanted to take this situation, she didn't. Her dignity was too high. In the following second, she gripped back against the other female's hips and gave her an abrupt nudge to the side in order to slip out from the trapped position beneath her. "Clever," the blonde remarked, able to grin just a little as she got back up to her feet, "you think you can seduce me. Sorry sweetheart, but it's going to take more than a skimpy dress and a few colorful words."

_'Damn her'_, Bo was scoffing mentally as her plan was foiled, she arched her body around until she was slumped back against the sofa, staring up at the detective. "I wasn't trying to seduce you."

At the petty response, Tamsin raised a brow, still unconvinced.

"Okay...so maybe I was," the succubus amended her words through a pout, "but you said you weren't going to stay, I had to do something to keep you here."

"Bo, has it occurred to you that you are the most undecided woman on the face of the planet? If I stay, we're only going to go down the same road, like we always do. A night of passion, followed by you returning to your girlfriend the next morning, so you'll have to excuse me if I want to skip out on all of that drama," the blonde said the facts as they were, shaking her head as she turned around to face the door. She wasn't concerned with retrieving her jacket, she just wanted a stable means of escape.

"No, that won't happen - that's what I need to talk to you about, it's why I asked you here," Bo propped herself upwards, panicking when she saw that the detective genuinely intended to just walk out.

"Discussing your sappy little love life is the last thing I want to do."

"You don't understand, this isn't a game anymore, I just need to know...I need to know if you care about me at all." The succubus was standing from the sofa with a worried gaze as she kept her eyes only on the blonde's back.

By the time that Tamsin had approached the front door, she held the handle in a loose grip, exhaling heavily, "I've carried that pendant with me for centuries, and out of everyone in this wretched world, I chose to give it to you. Do the math yourself."

The succubus' heart was about to explode when she saw the valkyrie begin to turn the handle, "wait," she was blurting her words out, "we're supposed to talk."

"Well, plans change sweetheart."

Apparently, Bo was left with no other options. Her intentions were to discuss things at a slow and understanding pace so that she could ease the valkyrie into everything, but as she had assumed, that wasn't going to work out. She was just going to have to go straight in for the kill. "Tamsin, you can't just leave. Kenzi...Kenzi asked me if I was in love with you."

Initially, the detective gave a deep chuckle as she tugged the door open, "why am I not surprised? That girl has a habit of asking stupid questions-"

"I said yes."

* * *

Again, I am eternally sorry for how long it has taken for this chapter to get posted up. There was a whole bunch of delays with getting home, so that lovely 9 hours somehow turned to 32. Fun, right? xD

Somehow I've always enjoyed the concept of having a character give up a personal gift, such as the pendant Tamsin had been carrying with her throughout her lifetimes. I'm sure on some unconscious level I've probably been inspired/influenced by something similar, but right now I can't think of that it could be. c':

And I know what you're thinking...why in the world did I have to leave the chapter on yet another cliffhanger of sorts? Because I love to keep you all guessing. Who knows how Tamsin is going to react - maybe she'll fly off the rails, maybe she'll break down. That's the beauty of writing, there are so many possibilities. But either way guys, Bo finally had the nerve to actually cut through the lines this time, booyah!

(Reviews. c': )

_shannon1419_ - And hear Bo's answer you shall! I'm just sorry that is has taken so long for this update to reach you. But since I'm back home now, everything should be more regular again! xD

_Purple-Ketchup_ - Well, it may have been a subtle hint, oui. ;)  
Exactly, I'm actually considering that it might be fun to write a scene purely between Lauren and Kenzi. Could you imagine the drama that the two of them would have? It'd be a verbal warfare all over again. But thank you so much for the wonderful review, and I'm always so glad to know that you're enjoying reading my work. c':

_yello13_ - Oh not at all, but it's all good because I am becoming obsessed with reading your superly kind reviews. Your gracious words just brighten up my world in general. xD  
I can't even put into words as to how much of a pleasure it was to read your comment, even to this very second I'm still smiling about it. It was so lovely and thank you so much. If my writing and fanfiction is giving you happiness and enjoyment then I consider it to be a great success, because that is all I could ever ask for. You are such a sweetheart and I promise you that I'll keep writing...forever! :'D  
I'm just sorry that it has taken a little longer than usual for me to give an update. October is always the month I take off for holidays and such, but I'm back now, so I'm definitely going to need to get back into the Valkubus action! c':

_bruubertolo_ - Well, not many people might know how to win over a succubus, but you've got a headstart so far, especially with a large amount of stamina and energy. That gives you a higher chance of succeeding. ;)  
Oh, why thank you, I'll definitely be more than happy to share my creative methods with you. Honey, by the time we're done, working out at the gym will be a distant...distant memory. We'll just come up with our own exercise routines. c;  
Ah, you are MORE than amazing! No need to worry about that!  
Merci, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the drama at the end...and I've kinda put the same twist at the end of this update too, so it's going to be a lot of fun writing the next chapter or so. xD  
But thank you so much, I did enjoy the holiday, t'was awesome, but I missed you and our colorful conversations! ;D

_loveisaspainfulasdeath_ - If there is one thing I love, it has to be a cliffhanger. After all of the build up and suspense since the beginning of this fanfiction, we're finally getting to the stage where Bo is now the one taking charge with her feelings. I'd say that she has pretty much just told Tamsin everything that she needs to...although, knowing me, I just had to leave that at a cliffhanger too. ;D

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - Haha, brilliant! Could you imagine if Tamsin did actually deck Lauren? I think everyone in the world would be in a state of shock, apart from Kenzi - she'd just cheer! But Bo would probably just faint from the drama. ;]

_Rawrkie_ - Bless you! And also thank you, it's always such a pleasure to know that I am doing justice to the characters, because I would hate to write them as something that they are not. I'm honored that you think this is the best fic around, really that is such a lovely thing to know and I appreciate it so, so much!  
Thank you again! And between you and I, I think Tamsin might get more than just a cuddle with the way things are going. :'D

_TheJojo99_ - Poor Bo, she is just always so confused in life that she has no idea how she is supposed to fix things. I'd hate to be stuck between two women. Believe it or not, I do like Lauren as a character, I don't have anything against her, but I just happen to like Tamsin a whole lot more. I really think that she is better for Bo in every sense possible, so hopefully we are finally going to explore that in the next chapter...especially since our succubus has dropped the bombshell now! xD

_FlipChick23_ - I think it's safe to say that Bo is finally starting to ignore Lauren, purely so that she doesn't end up losing Tamsin. The two of them are just destined to be together! x]

_Valkubuslove_ - Awh, I feel like I put everyone through torture by the on and off relationship with Tamsin and Bo. ;D  
But not to worry because our dear succubus is actually listening to her heart rather than her head for a change, yippee!

_MonsterGalore_ - Fear not my friend! All is starting to look clear in the Valkubus relationship...even though I've left this chapter as another abrupt cliffhanger, but still, at least Bo's feelings are now out in the open! xD  
Tamsin is finally winning! c':

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - I've always loved some Tamsin vs. Lauren. One day the two of them probably are going to fight, although it won't be a 'fight' as such, given that a human stands no chance against a valkyrie. ;D  
Kenzi is always around to be the voice of reason and logic, she's the perfect companion!

_Puppets' Master_ - Oh, why thank you, but I know in my heart of hearts that it is you who should be given the award for the most awesomest person to ever walk the earth. ;D  
Wow, well, that is quite the comeback, but I'm only the epitome of perfection because I aspire to be like you...so technically that makes you more perfect than actual perfection itself...which defies all logic, but I am sticking with it! c':  
Strip poker happens to be one of my fortes in life (I wish ;] ) but I reckon you and I can master the game.  
Exactly, no one ever uses handcuffs these days, dear me...they were invented for a reason after all. x]  
Oh, you're too sweet. I'm thrilled that you enjoy each and every chapter, because I love keeping you as happy as I can. Especially with some good old Valkubus adventures. It's perfect!  
I see, well that is a good point, with me being the succubus, I suppose I shall have to be juiced, mwaha. *Wink*  
Then smile I shall! You're absolutely right, it's such a pleasant and perfect expression to wear in this life.  
I apologize for the delay in posting this update, but I'm finally back now. I've returned to the sanctuary of being able to write for you, yay!

_unexpected sabotage_ - What a coincidence because I love YOU for reading it! I feel like doing a happy dance now, honestly, as long as my writing is keeping you entertained then that's all the encouragement I need to continue, from now until the end of time...and even afterwards. ;D

_poeticalramblings89_ - It's always wonderful to speak with a fellow Valkubus shipper! :'D  
I'm so glad that you aren't disappointed, because that is the last thing that I would ever want.  
And it is a pleasure to write for you and everyone else, I'm glad to be able to share the fiction with you all. I'll definitely keep it up!

_Kiwi_ - I wish I could swarm you with a million hugs right now, but since that is impossible I'll just settle with telling you how awesome you are! THANK YOU! It really makes my day to know that you are getting some joy out of reading this fanfic! :'D

_Guest_ - Gracias, my wonderful guest. I certainly did have an amazing holiday. But as much as I loved it, I'm also glad to be back so that I can continue to write for you all. xD


	19. It Was Always You

"You are the only thing  
that makes me want to live at all.  
When I am with you,  
there's no reason to pretend that  
when I am with you,  
I feel flames again."

- Flames, _Vast_

* * *

After the latest departure of words to escape from the succubus, Tamsin froze up, staring aimlessly outside of the partially opened door. Her fingers were curled so forcefully around the iron handle that her knuckles had become a pasty white. Giving her current state, it wouldn't be an impossibility for her to crush the metal. Had Bo actually just admitted to being in love with her? Her mind was going haywire, darting around to every form of opinion from straight from shocked to overwhelmingly enraged. The most vital organ between her two lungs was thudding with such atrocity that she almost expected it to blow up inside of her chest. This gave a whole new meaning to the term 'heart attack'. How did she deal with something as serious as this? She had never been in the position of anything that touched upon love before. Yet, right here, right now, the one person she had been subconsciously pursuing had made a brain-screwing-emotional-wrenching confession. She should have been happy about it, or hysterical at least. So why didn't she? Not an ounce of relief or positivity had even coursed through her system. The valkyrie lost herself in a split moment of anger and slammed the door shut so that she could turn back to the unnerved woman. The brunette had turned pale in anxiety, but that wasn't enough to earn her sympathy from the detective, unfortunately. "Bullshit."

The valkyrie's teeth were gritted as she glared coldly at the succubus across from her. She couldn't calm herself due to the fact that she was treading in new territory. History cautioned her to be wary around anything that Bo said. She didn't want to get herself hurt any worse than she had done before. Already her chest was beginning to heave as she paced back and forth by the door, holding an air of danger and intimidation to each action. _'This is insane, what the hell is she playing at this time? She's toying with me...right?'_ She asked herself, over and over. Her expression was uncertain.

It was enough to make the brunette fearful in case she crossed the wrong wire with the other female. Valkyries weren't a species she was familiar with, but from what she could see, Tamsin looked like a time bomb waiting to detonate. "It's not, I'm serious Tamsin-"

"No!" The blonde cut in, stopping her obsessive movement so that she could point a finger of accusation at the succubus, "no, you don't get to be _'serious'_, you can't just wake up and suddenly decide that you are in love with someone."

"I didn't," Bo rebounded, raising both of her hands in an act of mercy as she took a single step forward, she kept still the moment she saw how the detective lurched back defensively, "trust me, I never asked for this, you have been tormenting my heart for the longest time. I...I didn't know what to do, there was you, and then there was Lauren and I...I felt safe with her; hiding with her."

"And what about _my_ heart? Did you even stop to consider that? The way you dispose of me time after time and run back to 'hide' with your doctor," Tamsin looked as though she was ready to murder someone as she leaned one side of her body forward so that she could hold more aggression to her stance, "that is **not** love."

Bo swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat so that she wouldn't sound so distraught when she spoke, "it's a two way street, you never speak about your own feelings. You still don't. Every time I get close to you, you pull away."

"Are you blind? Every time you get close to me, _you_ pull away. You are the one who leaves, not me. I don't have a girlfriend waiting to shower me in praise and hugs as soon as I get home. That's your life, not mine, so if you want to argue about this then at least get your facts straight." Between talking, the valkyrie was taking deeper breaths to compensate for the unwanted adrenaline that was streaming through her system. She was so riled up that an ice cube would melt instantly if it came into contact with her.

"I don't want to argue, I just want you to believe me Tamsin," Bo pleaded as she dared to take another step, "I love y-"

"SHUT UP!" The valkyrie clutched at her own forehead and shut her eyes tight enough until it felt like she was straining her brain, "just shut up, don't you dare say it. Don't say _that_. You can't."

Startled by the outburst, the brunette was back to keeping still so that she didn't risk her own safety. She didn't doubt that things could turn violent if she wasn't careful. "Why can't I?" She asked blankly, resuming to have her hands raised in surrender to prove that she wouldn't be threatening about this.

"Because, you just... you can't," the blonde groaned, and hit the ball of her palm against her head as if she was trying to fix a malfunction within herself, "I've spent this past week mourning you and getting over you. I was burying everything. I was going to live again and accept the fact that you and Lauren are in a relationship. And here you are, you're destroying it all."

"By telling you that I-"

"I will beat you to the ground if you try to finish those words, so knock it off already."

"Why is it so impossible for you to believe me?" Bo huffed, growing agitated by the dismissal of such an important admittance. Sure, she didn't expect rainbows and flowers to burst everywhere, but she didn't anticipate that the other woman would take it all in a negative stride either.

"You are fooling yourself. Stop confusing infatuation with love." Making a stern demand, the blonde could practically feel the strands of her composure ripping apart inside of her own skull. Her fingers trailed through her hair, with her nails clawing into her scalp. She had worked so hard at closing off from her emotions and here the brunette was, shaking her world up again. "You expect me to believe that you haven't spent these past few days engaging in long acrobatic make-up sex with Lauren? You must think that I'm an idiot!"

"I haven't, it's the truth." Fighting a case like this was an uphill battle for the succubus, but she made her attempts anyway. Her eyes were always watchful over the unstable valkyrie by the door. "I was too busy searching for you, seeing Lauren in The Dal today...it's the first time in a week. You can ask Kenzi, she can vouch for me."

When the detective chose to open her heavy eyelids, she searched until she was glaring at Bo again, "riiiiight, so you're telling me that I have to take off in order to be the center of your attention? Don't you just know how to make a girl feel special."

"Go ahead, paint me out to be the villain, remind me of every little mistake I've made, accuse me of lying. It doesn't change how I feel about you." Eventually when the brunette found a more confident footing, she closed more of the distance by another five or six footsteps.

Each time, the blonde seemed like she wanted to flinch and run away, but she was much too proud to do so. Instead, she toughened up and stood straight, wearing a formidable frown. _'This is getting too crazy, Bo can't possibly love me...can she? No, no. No, no, no, she's got Lauren...this has to be a trick.'_ Her eyes were narrowing as her thoughts raced around like unshackled criminals.

"I sent you fifty three messages Tamsin, I was desperate to find you. Maybe I realized it too late, but I needed you. I _need_ you."

"And I wanted to reply...fifty three times," the blonde answered in a monotone so that she didn't come across as soft. She was angry and the succubus and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Then why didn't you?"

"I couldn't, don't you get it? I didn't want any of this, I was just assigned to be Dyson's partner for God's sake, all I wanted was to throw you behind bars and call it a day," Tamsin back to grumbling in that annoyed way that she so often referred to, "I shouldn't have to deal with these shitty feelings. I wasn't supposed to get along with the wolf, I wasn't supposed to like Kenzi. And I certainly wasn't supposed to give a damn about you." Now she was pacing again, broadening her shoulders as she kept her wavering sights locked onto Bo. "I work better on my own. I am a God damn austere loner...and you are not mine!"

"So, that's it? You are just willing to give up on everything?"

"This isn't my call, I'm sick of running in circles for you. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is? A valkyrie chasing after a succubus? The infamous unaligned succubus at that? It makes me a laughing stock in the Fae world," Tamsin's arms lowered to her sides so that she could curl her hands into tight fists, "what's worse is that I am being outshined by a pathetic human."

"You're not being..." Bo stopped herself and shook her head, now she was the one pressing an index finger to her temple due to stress, "you have to remember that Lauren and I were in a relationship before I met you, we have a lot of history."

"And your point is?"

"If I had known that you were going to be a part of my life, things would have been different."

"I highly doubt that, maybe you haven't taken the time to realize it yet, so allow me to enlighten you," the valkyrie inched forward, though only to keep that air of fury to her, "you're incapable of loving just one person."

The words cut deeper than Bo's pride would ever allow her to admit, but for a fleeting second, the pain drifted over her face. She looked like she had just suffered an axe wound to the heart. "Now hold on a moment, that is not fair."

"Isn't it? Lets see, you love Lauren," the blonde raised one open hand so that she could count along her fingers as an extra emphasis, "you love Dyson and now you are claiming to add me to the list too? I'd rather not be a part of this stupid square!"

"I can change...I can be monogamous." In the life of the succubus, she had existed for so long with everyone preaching to her that she wouldn't be able to devote herself - well, that was mainly to the human doctor - but still, she wanted to prove the world wrong.

"I say again, I highly doubt that. You're always going to run back to the wolf or the doctor...wanna know why? Instinct. It's in your nature, it's what you know."

"Have you considered that maybe I've been in so many relationships because the right person hasn't come along yet?" Subtly, step by step, the succubus had gotten herself closer to the detective. So close that she could see how drained the distress had made her become. "What if you are the one?"

Tamsin's eyebrows knitted together as she inhaled deeply, "what if I'm not?"

"Don't say that-"

"I'm not a good person, I get angry really easily, I can take lives without remorse. I like being alone, I drink and I fight...I have no patience-"

"You protect me, you've saved my life countless times, you take care of Kenzi. Who said that a saint couldn't also be a sinner? You are good for me-"

"No, I will probably ruin you. Actually, I _know_ for a fact that I'll ruin you." It was as though the detective was purposely wanting to list everything negative about herself in order to give the succubus a wake-up call. She didn't want to be mistaken for someone as tender and gentle as Lauren Lewis.

"Then why do I always feel safest in life when I am with you? That means something." As Bo neared just a little further to the blonde, she held a lot of conviction in her eyes as she gazed with intensity to the other woman. "I understand why you are angry with me, I've hurt you a lot and I'll never forgive myself for that. But I'm not going to apologize for wanting you or depending on you. You're the strongest person I have ever met. I know that I've put you through Hell and back, so let me make things right."

Undoubtedly, the valkyrie was at a conflict inside of her own head. She didn't want to let the succubus' words impact her at all, but a part of her was unwillingly believing that this speech wasn't some sort of twisted lie. "You don't understand anything about me! Stop messing with my head Bo, I don't want to be a part of your games anymore!" There, she had managed to use her hostility to her advantage, because quite frankly she couldn't spend another moment in this house. She was suffocating. As her last word echoed sharply, she shunted away from where she had been standing and raced to the door as though she was on a time limit to escape before an explosion set off. So long as she could make it outside and run for the hills then she'd be fine. She would be able to deal with this all in her own space and privacy.

_'Just get to the door and get out. Just get to the door and get out. Out, out, OUT!'_ If one thing, Tamsin could never let her internal voice keep silent. _'If I stay, she wins. I can't let that happen, I never lose.'_

Would it be that easy however? No, definitely not.

The very second Bo had seen the blonde's move for the door, she couldn't for the life of her afford to let things end like this. In an even shorter spree of time, she was dashing across the floor. She caught up to the valkyrie just as the handle was turned, "I love you."

There it was. Those three words in the bluntest form possible. No sugarcoating was needed this time around.

Although it served to make the detective go off on another insane tangent, "I told you to shut up about that! Just stop screwing around already!" Tamsin's breathing was broken up and ragged, she was about to haul the door open, but Bo's hands grabbed against her shoulders before she had the chance. The contact was worse than wildfire. It wasn't forceful, but it hurt her in so many other ways. She acted like she had been shocked by a bolt of electricity as she jerked away from the succubus as violently as she could. "Don't touch me, Bo. Don't...just don't touch me..." She shuddered and rubbed her hands along her own arms. "I can't deal with you right now. I should go."

Bo was driven to concern over the chopping and changing of the valkyrie's mind. She looked like she was in pain, which was hard enough to deal with already. Ignoring the former warning, the brunette ventured forward again, "I don't want you to leave. Stay, Tamsin."

"Haven't you heard a single word I've said? If you take one more step I will knock the Fae right out of you!" Apparently, the valkyrie was also choosing to ignore whatever words were coming from the other woman. She was a mixture of confusion and inner torment. And it didn't help when the succubus still proceeded to move closer. It was a calling of the bluff. Tamsin wouldn't be seen as weak, her hand raised very quickly, poised to prepare dishing out a sharp slap. But a second passed and she couldn't even bring herself to do it, not when she was looking Bo in the eye as she was now. If anything, her palm and fingers were tremoring in midair.

She couldn't do it.

The hesitation was the first thing that the succubus noticed, so she took the open chance and grasped the detective's wrist with one hand, whilst she used her other to take a hold of Tamsin's opposite arm. Retaliation was expected and it certainly came. Somehow the two of them were struggling.

Okay, well, Tamsin was really the _only_ one doing the actual struggling. "Just let me go, succubus, let me go!"

"No," Bo snapped as she took a risk by releasing the blonde's bicep, but only so that she could loop her arm around her neck instead. She drew the uncompromising valkyrie closer to her, "I love you, Tamsin," she murmured soothingly as she managed to get her lips to the other woman's ear, "listen to me, I am in love with _you_."

"Ugh, no you're not!" Pulling and squirming, the detective was adamant to keep her wits about her. With her unrestrained hand, she was clutching at Bo's shoulder, just to have something to hold onto. "Stop trying to lure me under your poisonous spell, succubus," she was groaning as she felt herself being tugged in further, stripping away more probability that she would be walking out of this room.

Bo's mouth was hovering an inch above Tamsin's lobe, she refused to rely on her powers to tame the agitated female. This all had to be done naturally as proof of her sincerity. "It's not a spell," her whispers were masterfully soft into the valkyrie's ear, "it's real, you know it is. Somewhere inside, there has to be a part of you that believes me."

"All I believe is that you'll do anything to keep me under your thumb." In the detective's attempt to haul away, the moment she tried was the same moment that she staggered forward. She underestimated how clingy the brunette was being about this. Every time the thought of running crossed her mind, it was like the succubus somehow knew, hence why she was keeping a bloody strong lock.

"That is ridiculous," the two of them weren't by the front door anymore, given that the struggling between them meant that they had been moving ever so slightly. Bo's fingers wrapped tighter around Tamsin's wrist, and in response, she could feel the blonde's own hand clamping more hopelessly onto her shoulder.

"Ha, ha...oh, open your eyes, Ysabeau! No it's not! You can't handle the fact that I'm not at your beckoning call like everyone else," the blonde was shooting out her theory, with a lot of confidence that she was on the mark, "it worries you that I can just walk away...so you will stoop to any level to make me stay. Admit it! You only 'love' me because you need to keep me in line, you need to have me under your control!"

"You are insane! How could you possibly think that? You really don't know anything about love, do you?"

"Right, because you are such a professional in the arts of earth-altering, unconditional adulation and fondness!"

"Cut the crap, Tamsin, I adore you for who you are, why would I fall in love with you if I wanted you to be something you're not? That's just sick," Bo took the small pause from the valkyrie as an opportunity and so she forcefully backed her into the wooden counter next to them. Anything to keep them from being apart.

The blonde gritted her teeth when she bumped into the object behind. Being trapped never sat well with her in the past and now was no different. "You think that I'm a cold bitch, unless you have forgotten-"

"And a person can't choose who they fall for, unless _you_ have forgotten. Didn't you just say that you didn't want to care about me? But you do, don't you? Even if you didn't ask for it, it happens." The succubus was panting by the time that she was going on this rant about how love worked, trying to hold the detective in one place was tiring. "You might be a bitch, but there is something about you that is obviously compatible with my heart."

"Why are you doing this to me? Do you get off on torturing me like this?"

"I'm not doing this to hurt you. You are the one in denial. If we both care about each other, then why does this have to be a bad thing? Why are you running?"

"Because I..." Tamsin closed her eyes for a moment, scowling as she built back up her composure, "because I don't want to share you, alright? There, are you happy? Does that make you feel better? I don't want anyone else to have you."

When the valkyrie was persisting to break away, Bo was nearly caught off guard due to the shock of hearing the confession. She hadn't anticipated that it would have came out as easily as that, not that she would complain. Her distraction was shunned, however, when she felt the other female trying to push past. Urgently, she reaffirmed her hold and let go of Tamsin's wrist so that she could coil a firm arm around her waist instead. "Hey, hey, it's okay, stop fighting me." As her words went unheeded for the first few seconds, she tried again, pressing one delicate kiss to the valkyrie's jawbone, "stop fighting me, Tamsin."

Something must have clicked, somewhere in the depths of the blonde's shredded psyche, because her actions lessened to the point where she was static, taking deep breaths. _'Why is it so easy for her to win like this? I don't understand,'_ Tamsin's mind had become a shelter for defeat. She tricked herself into questioning why the succubus made her so compliant, when she already knew the answer.

She had always known.

It was often that the female would ask her to stop struggling, and she would abide.

Bo took another dare as she slackened her grip around the valkyrie, but she didn't let go entirely. Each of her hands were brought up to cup against the limp woman's cheeks, "Tamsin, look at me," she requested, using that kind voice of hers. The same one which she assumed probably drove the blonde ten types of crazy inside, "look at me."

Like an prisoner walking to the execution board, the detective had no choice other than to raise her eyes to meet the succubus'.

All she saw was a warm gaze and a soft smile. The type that just defined Bo Dennis. Her rare selflessness was one of the traits that had been so touching in the first place. Had she been anything less, the two of them may not have been in this position. Perhaps.

"I love you," the succubus admitted for the fourth time, brushing the pad of her thumbs along the valkyrie's cheekbones.

On this occasion, Tamsin's resolve gave way, she knew that she was about to take the plunge, but she couldn't outrun it forever. As she exhaled her next laboring breath, she too finally gave up the ghost, "I - I love..." it sounded physically painful for her to even attempt to admit. Her face contorted as though someone or something was punching her in the chest.

The brunette's hazel eyes were searching around for the lost words which the blonde was fighting to find, "it's alright," she assured as she caressed the woman's distressed face, "you don't have to say it."

As the succubus lowered her arms and took a step back, Tamsin panicked and reached out to grab at her wrist, "no, I need to say it," now she was giving some reassurance to her words, "it's been bottled inside of me for so long, I don't think I can live with it anymore." Tentatively, she eased Bo closer to her again, erasing the little distance that had been made. She wished that there was a defibrillator around in case her heart suddenly decided to die on her after this. "I love you, Bo."

Nothing prepared her for the sudden lunge that the succubus made as soon as the last syllable had been spoken. Bo's lips were on her own, her arms wrapping around her neck tightly, as if she feared this would all disappear if she let go.

Memories recalled that the woman had never kissed her quite like this before.

It wasn't lustful.

It wasn't for the sake of feeding.

It was...real? Or _realer_, at least.

Tamsin got over the offhand astonishment and wound both of her arms around the female's waist, snugly.

"Say it again," Bo begged inbetween the contact of their lips, her words were muffled into the valkyrie's mouth as she tangled her fingers around in her soft locks of blonde hair.

"I love you," the detective was merciful as she gave another open admission. And damn, it felt pretty good to get it out of her system. She was on the right track when the succubus pressed tighter into her, catching her lower lip between her teeth. The only hindrance of the experience was the uncomfortable wooden counter which was pushing into her lower back. It hardly deterred her effort to make the most from this situation. Tamsin encouraged Bo to move backwards, deeper into the room, without parting from the contact.

"No Lauren, no Dyson..." Even as the brunette promised her words, she was too smitten in the warmth of Tamsin's lips to concentrate fully. With one hand still buried in the fair locks, she yanked lightly, angling the blonde's head minutely to the side so that she could immerse greater into their kiss.

Tongues were beginning to clash and thrash as the two women journeyed beyond the couch. The valkyrie was only half conscious of their surroundings as she fiddled around with the lacing at the back of Bo's dress, and just at the same time, she could feel that the succubus was using one hand to undo the buttons at the front of her own blouse. It was a Godsend because she felt as though her flesh was burning up. Any exposure was appreciated at this time.

Without warning, she only became grounded into reality when she stumbled into a partial seated position back against the shabby staircase. Tamsin was going to stand up, but that motive turned irrelevant when Bo clambered onto her lap. She had no real alternative apart from resting her hands along the succubus' thighs to keep her stable.

The sound of their heavy breathing and the smacking between their lips were the only lively signs within the abandoned building.

It came to an eventual intermission as the brunette inched her mouth away in order to regain the oxygen that she had lost. On first glance, she could see that the other woman's chest was rising and falling with as much exhaustion as her own.

"No Lauren...or Dyson?" The valkyrie found the chance to repeat in a questioning tone. Did this mean that she had finally won? No more competition? She tried not to get her hopes up in the likely case that she had misheard. It wouldn't be the first time her mind would've tricked her into listening to words that she desired. Through her open gaze, she looked up at the succubus.

A breathless chuckle fell from Bo's lips before she massaged her fingertips against the blonde's scalp in a motion of adoration, "no," she clarified and kissed Tamsin's chin, and then her cheek, "I really don't deserve you, but I'm all yours."

"To be fair, no one actually deserves me," the valkyrie hummed arrogantly.

"Don't spoil the moment," Bo grinned and gave a thoughtful pull against the unbuttoned blouse until one half slid down by the blonde's shoulder. It revealed her beautifully creamy flesh. Usually she would be met with spying a bruise or two, so it was refreshing to see pristine skin.

A minute or two ago, life had been disastrous, but things were gracing over with a better fortune since then. Tamsin glided her fingers up the side of the woman's body until she was able to place her palm flatly over her chest, "_this_," she patted lightly, feeling the thundering heartbeat that resided beneath the flesh and bone, "this is mine?"

The succubus' expression softened into a smile over the stubborn valkyrie's innocence and need for her doubts to be dispelled. Her own hand came to cover the one that was tapping in rhythm with her palpitations. "Yes," she gave another reassurance and saw how it made Tamsin visibly more relaxed, "all yours."

Bested by emotion again, the blonde couldn't bring herself to respond verbally so she met Bo's lips in another crushing kiss, but she knew the other female didn't have protests about that. They were both in the same boat, desperate to make it to the bedroom. As if through some form of telepathic communication, they appeared to know just when to move. When the blonde rose, the succubus was immediate to shift from her lap so that they could progress up the remainder of the staircase.

It took double the time since neither one of them could keep their hands off the other, meaning that the valkyrie was prone to staggering due to walking backwards. She bumped into the wall at the left side, causing her to grunt gently into the kiss.

Said noise, no matter how small, sparked a lot of arousal from the succubus. In a flash, her lips were attacking Tamsin's neck, nipping and biting in all the ways that could coax out a moan or two from her.

Every emotion imaginable hurtled through the valkyrie when Bo's warm mouth reached her shoulder. She could feel her open shirt being pried from her torso and she done nothing to stop it. The blouse cascaded down her arms and dropped loosely to the floorboards. As soon as it was gone, she found her sense of competitiveness. Grabbing the succubus by the waist she nudged away from the wall and began to guide her in the direction of the bedroom. Her fingers wound and clung to the lacing at the back of the dress, which she was practically yanking undone in record time.

The positions were constantly changing, because now Tamsin was the one who was blazing a trail of searing kisses against Bo's neck. "Mmm," the brunette bit down on her bottom lip, but soon released it through a rougher moan as she was abruptly shoved up against the closed door to her room. "We're not going to make it inside if you keep doing this," she purred her statement as she reached down with her hands and began to undo the buckle of the belt around the waistband of the valkyrie's jeans.

"You started it," the blonde mumbled with zero attention as her teeth nipped lightly at the succubus' collarbone. Her grip grew more forceful on the slackened dress and she began to tug. The fact that it was strapless was just an added bonus.

"Did I?" As the brunette replied coyly, she could feel her attire beginning to leave it's original position around her figure. She reached around with her left hand and opened the door, virtually stumbling backwards into the room, although she still had a hold of the blonde's unfastened leather belt so that she could courier her along also. When she made a point of stepping away from the valkyrie and reluctantly ending the contact, it was only so that she could stand in front of the bed. The garment around her was barely worth the effort of keeping on anymore, so Bo used her own two hands to give it one final pull until it slipped down her body; like when a perfectly wrapped towel fell to the floor.

The detective wasn't hit with shock to see that the other female was wearing nothing beneath, "no undergarments? That's bold of you," she pointed out as her already wandering eyes scoped the perfect form in front of her. It seemed like an eternity had passed since they had last been in a circumstance such as this.

"Don't tell me you expected anything less from a succubus? I told you, I wanted to woo you tonight," the brunette could feel the other woman's heated gaze all over her, which served to tally her desire to a higher rate.

"Well, nothing says 'wooing' quite like nudity."

"Hmm, you know what, I think it's about time that you join in on the nude part, detective. I've learned that sex works so much better that way." The succubus was teasing; her eyelids heavier and her gaze hungrier as she kept an unmoving view of the female across from her.

"Sex? Is that what we're here for?" In turn, Tamsin acted naive and folded her arms over her chest, leaning her shoulder against the doorway. The smirk was broad across her lips. "And here I just planned on reading a book all night long."

Any challenge presented by the valkyrie was something that Bo thoroughly enjoyed. She tipped her head to one side and stalked forward, "like hell you are," a grin swept across her features as she gripped the loose belt, finally pulling it off and throwing it to the other side of the room, "honey, by the time we're done, reading will be the last thing on your mind."

Tamsin put up no resistance when she was led over to the bed, what was the point? She held a burning need for the brunette so she wouldn't deny herself that, not after the drama downstairs. Once she stood still, the succubus took charge and pushed her jeans low enough until she merely had to step out of them. It wasn't until she was left in her undergarments that she noticed how ravenous Bo was beginning to look.

"What's wrong, valkyrie? Don't tell me you've turned shy all of a sudden?"

It was a playful taunt, of course, but it always sounded like a challenge. And the blonde was never one to shy away. She clicked her tongue, slowly, as an indication that she was impressed that the succubus had learned how to goad her into doing something. The detective reached her hands behind her back to undo the clasp at her bra. As it came loose, she let it fall past her arms as she then worked on her underwear. Not once did she remove eye contact with the aroused brunette, not even as she divested her final piece of attire. Similar to the rest of the clothing, it was scattered elsewhere in the area.

Not much was said for the next three seconds, the succubus was breathing heavier as she clearly ogled the immaculate figure in front of her.

"See something you like?" Tamsin asked plainly, although a smirk accompanied the question, religiously.

"Not like._ Love._" With all of the tension and foreplay that had been leading up to this moment, it took all of Bo's strength not to lash out lustfully. "I love everything I see."

There is was again, that single word; love.

It's affect must have been more powerful than the valkyrie had thought. Stunningly, it provoked her into making the first move. She was practically throwing herself at the succubus, bringing them both onto the mattress in an entanglement of limbs and kisses. Tamsin may have landed on top, but it was as if she had just initiated a lifelong battle, because Bo was immediately fighting her for control amidst it all. There didn't exist an inch or area of the succubus' body where she wasn't groping feverishly. Her hands were everywhere; much like the brunette's.

They were touching and kneading, with all sorts of pelvic movements going on inbetween. And the carnage of their kissing was as eminent as usual. Most of it was _galocher_ as their lips bruised from the equal determination to win.

When Bo somehow reversed their roles and assumed the position of dominance atop the valkyrie, she was set on staying there. She pressed her body flush into her lover's to certify that she was kept pinned. More oxygen was needed, which brought her to relinquish the massaging of her tongue against the detective's. Her breaths had transformed back into exerted pants as she stared down.

And the blonde was glancing straight back up at her, with that 'I really want to take you' look written all over her face. That, alone was almost enough to make Bo want to surrender, but her own desires kept her in control. "Do you know how wonderful you feel?" She ground her hips steadily into Tamsin's as she spoke, although her words turned husky halfway though.

"Pretty damn wonderful." Vainly, the remark came with a partnered moan from the blonde. The temptation to rock her pelvis won her over and she increased the friction that was assaulting the apex of her thighs.

Bo's left hand slithered down between their heated bodies, and her satisfaction piqued when her palm cupped firmly against Tamsin's core. To her delight, she felt proof of just how much she had been able to effect the other woman with the idea of sex and stimulation. Two of her fingers traipsed through the moist folds of flesh, and as the valkyrie shuddered in pleasure beneath her, she began to grin.

As anyone could imagine, there was no way that Tamsin planned on letting herself be at the mercy of another, not with how worked up she had gotten in her earlier outburst. She had to uphold her sturdy reputation. Mirroring the brunette's approach, she too slid her hand in a hasty descent until she was pressing her thumb into the succubus' clitoris, rubbing in a slow and solid circular motion.

"Mm, Tamsin..." The brunette gasped out in a surprise of pleasure, having not predicted that she would be opposed. She should have guessed that the other woman wouldn't wait around and play fair. In fact, she was overtaken by even more bliss as she felt three fingers slipping inside of her. Having not recovered from the previous gasp, she gave a small outcry of bliss as she adjusted to the sensation.

"You know, succubus, you feel pretty wonderful yourself," the blonde spoke in a voice thick with lust, next to the female's ear for an added effect. She began to work her digits at a reflexively forceful pace within Bo. Having been acquainted with her body more than once, she was confident that she remembered every little nerve to reach. Her credence was accurately placed when her touch was met with the oncoming rocking of the succubus' hips. A rhythm was being negotiated amongst them.

"Oh...oh, right - there," the brunette's brain turned to mush as she embraced the siege that the valkyrie was taking, she could only remain conscious of how good this one woman made her feel, "God, yes."

It was quite a skill for the detective to even re-take control over the encounter when recalling that she was the underneath the other woman. Her talents had no boundaries.

Tamsin took complete advantage of admiring the view that she had of Bo from the position she was in, as her fingers curled and drove with double the intensity. She observed how the succubus' lips formed into an 'o' shape whenever she was left to give a series of moans - all of which were ranging in volume.

Every time Bo bucked her hips sharply, she was rewarded with an even harsher thrust from her devoted valkyrie. All things sane and logical had turned numb in her head, leaving her with the only capability of indulging in her lover's fierce touch. Her mouth was consistently agape as whimpers and airless words fled from her, "I'm so close," she announced as a coil of warmth surged through her body, all of it panning down to her groin. She regretted that she was too unfocused to give as good as she was getting, but with the pleasure so profuse, no one would ever be able to think straight, let alone try to physically respond. "God, Tamsin, I'm so...so close," Bo fisted the bedsheets with her right hand, whilst her left relied on holding against the detective's side.

The pale flesh was being clawed into frantically, and Tamsin knew that she was going to be left with marks, but she would wear them as her badges of honor. Her lips were still stationed by the trembling brunette's ear, "then you should just let go and come for me," she kissed the lobe tenderly, to contradict her rougher tributes to the rest of the female's body.

How could the succubus possibly hold on when the blonde was telling her not to? It drove her wild, as did the way that she had found herself at Tamsin's whim even though she was originally supposed to be taking the reigns of dominance. The orgasm that she gave in to washed through her like an uncontrollable tide, even as she rode through it, she was forced to bury her head against the crook of the blonde's neck.

Stars shone behind her closed eyelids as she gave a muffled scream into the detective's skin. For those high moments her entire being was on fire and the world as she knew it was spinning here, there and everywhere. Holding onto the woman below her was Bo's only real connection to reality as she suffered through the vehement release. The aftermath, when it dawned, done no good for her breathing as she was giving little gasps and keens.

Throughout the duration of the succubus' climax, Tamsin's fingers had guided her through it for the most part, until the conclusion. When it had approached, she eased her ministrations and found that her arms were given the new purpose of wrapping around Bo's waist as she collapsed downwards. Being able to witness how wrecked she appeared after one round indicated that she hadn't been tearing it up in the sheets with the doctor lately. And that happened to be the type of thought that the valkyrie could live with happily.

"Wow, wow, wow," Bo was groaning into the side of the detective's throat as she tried to recover the mobility in her body from the waist down, "that was amazing," she then nuzzled into the same area, "God, that was so amazing, Tamsin."

"I give nothing but the best." Okay, so the sins of pride and vanity were never going to truly abandon the blonde, but in her own little way she was admitting that she would always treat a lover as her top priority. Her fingers were brushing along the lower half of the succubus' spine and she placed a random kiss to the side of her head, for no reason other than the fact that she simply wanted to.

She could feel Bo smiling against her - which was nice.

Maybe another minute had at least gone by before the succubus propped herself up so that she could look into the valkyrie's eyes, "I think it's about time that I pick up from where I left off." There existed no other meaning to her statement as she brought her hand from Tamsin's side to reunite with the intended location at her womanhood.

The tables were most definitely turned when she saw the elation in the blonde's expression. Deriving from what was normally expected, she wanted to do whatever she could to offer just as much euphoria as she had experienced, and so her creative side took over as she began to drag her lips down Tamsin's chest.

At first, the blonde was about to pose a question, but any words dissolved to nothingness as the succubus' kisses passed over one of her breasts, venturing lower. Her stomach was next and she felt a tingle when Bo's tongue dipped into her bellybutton. The small sensation was unlike anything she had been accustomed to before. "Bo," she let a moan pass out just as her pelvis was crossed. The last thing she had foresaw was that she was going to be toured to an extent like this. In the following second, she gasped a little less professionally when the woman's tongue swiped over her clitoris, "shit."

Without her permission the obscenity had ran free, she braced herself as the succubus gave a repeat of the action, but with rougher origin. Tamsin's hands were clutching painfully tight at the covers under her.

Bo took the sensitive nub of skin into her mouth, grazing her teeth lightly as her tongue began to rove and swirl with an apt force. She was purposely prolonging her own moans so that the slight vibration brought with her lips would only stimulate the valkyrie more.

"God dammit, Bo...!" Tamsin's delightful groans and other little noises of suggestion were non-stop. Her hips were arching, involuntarily, and she shifted one hand to rest gently against the brunette's head, stroking through her locks in utter need. It was insane how her resolve could disappear within no time at all. She found it a tad fearful that Bo even knew her body this well to begin with. As a person who prized herself on being unreadable, it was shocking to have someone in her life who could work her in all the right ways.

And speaking of 'working' things, the succubus relented in her teasing and repaid the blonde's previous invasion as she delved three fingers in to her core. Like usual, a relief raced through her when she felt how tighter Tamsin was - meaning that she hadn't engaged with anyone else during her week long hiatus.

About two or three crude words burst from the valkyrie's lips at the intense feeling, her back arched on instinct and whether intended or not, she slammed her other hand back with too much force that her palm broken one of the wooden beams at the headboard. As the succubus commenced with giving empowered thrusts, she couldn't stop the moans from emitting. She tried to chew down on her bottom lip, but it was to no avail, "Bo, yes...harder." She was at a loss as to the requests that she was pleading for, all she could focus on was how the woman was making white hot desire pool through every nerve ending and muscle in her body. Even the blood was pumping faster through her veins, which also meant that her heart was on a speeding freight train.

The succubus consented to what the blonde desired and increased the strength she was using. Of course, she didn't want to go overboard and hurt Tamsin, but she would take it far enough so that she could feel the burn of pleasure. As her fingers curled tightly, she pushed further, hitting into every little zone of sensitivity within her lover. When her actions were met with the urgent circling of the valkyrie's hips, she knew that she was accomplishing her goal.

"Yes, oh...yes..." Come tomorrow, Tamsin was going to blush over her the submission persona she had adopted currently. She was writhing and gasping when her words provoked Bo's lips into teasing harsher against her flesh. Her hand was clutching onto the splintered frame of wood that she had broken, as a means of alleviation, because she couldn't hold on any longer. The knot of ecstasy that had welled within her groin came undone which sent her to a forceful high. As her orgasm scurried through her system, she closed her eyes tightly, wailing out in bliss. She often hated letting sounds like that slip because it made her appear soft, but Bo had pushed her to those limits. Her fingers were tangling around the brunette's locks of hair as she kept enduring the onslaught of her release.

It just so happened that the succubus was also choosing to help her lover ride it out to the maximum; needing her to gain everything out of the experience. In fact, it must have taken a good thirty seconds until Tamsin calmed down to the point where she was no longer squirming, but rather, laying back heavily against the bed. Her wrist was sprawled over her forehead and her eyes remained strainfully closed as she fought to get her breathing to a regular pattern.

To Bo, the blonde looked like some rare goddess from another realm, everything about her was utterly different to all other forms of life on this planet. Even in the aftermath of sex, she was just as beautiful when she was trying to find herself. The succubus took the chance to crawl back up so that she could whisper in the valkyrie's ear, "good girl."

The term made Tamsin shudder, she thought of herself as the farthest thing from 'good', but she knew this was Bo's way of trying to get under her skin. "That is an overstatement, wouldn't you say?" She got a question out without gasping for more oxygen and lowered her arm as she opened her eyes, finally.

"Maybe it used to be, but not anymore," Bo smiled and kissed her way to the blonde's mouth, "you are _my_ good girl now."

"Yours huh? Are you sure about that?" There was a glimmer of mischief and taunting in the detective's gaze as she watched the woman above her.

"You're right, my mistake," the succubus countered as she let her lips hover faintly against the valkyrie's, aware that she could probably taste herself, "you have always been mine."

Tamsin forgot to reply, too enraptured with how tempting it was to steal a kiss from the other woman, her arms came down to hold steadily around her waist, "I know that I don't talk about my feelings a lot, but I need you to understand that I have been waiting centuries for someone like you." She was speaking her confessions into the other woman's lips, although a correction was quickly needed, "._..for you_."

Cliché or not, it was a positive way to make the succubus feel like she had mysteriously died and ended up in Heaven; only this was better. She brought her hand up to caress the valkyrie's cheek, in tender strokes, "and I need you to understand that you complete me. I never realized how empty my world was until I met you."

"So, what happens now?" Tamsin felt a little dumb for asking, but she wondered whether or not a solution had been thought of yet.

"Well, truth be told, Lauren and I have been on the rocks for a while. I'm going to have to let her go, it'll be a long and hard talk to have with her, but it's the right thing to do," Bo explained as she continued to trace her fingers along the valkyrie's cheekbone, down to her jaw.

"Do you want to let her go?"

"I don't want to _hurt_ her, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with you, Tamsin. Can't you see that yet?"

"Sorry," the blonde mumbled, "I'm not very proficient with this relationship crap."

The succubus laughed softly and planted a quick kiss to the valkyrie's nose, "okay, wild child, if we're going to be in a relationship you can't refer to it as 'crap', alright?"

"I have a feeling that you are going to be teaching me quite a lot about this, aren't you?" Tamsin's eyes rolled and she started to stare at the ceiling instead.

"I just want you to be yourself," Bo answered and offered a second kiss, only it was to the woman's ear this time, "only yourself," she progressed her lips lower to the detective's neck, "and we can deal with everything else tomorrow, right now, it's just you, me and this very comfortable bed."

"I'll try not to break the boxspring this time," Tamsin didn't make any promises. She noticed the blue shine to the succubus' eyes and she knew that it could only mean one thing...

...round two was about to begin.

* * *

For the better part of the evening, Kenzi had been occupying her time at Dyson's apartment. She held enough intelligence to know that she had to clear the space for Bo and Tamsin to talk. Not that she believed the night would end in 'talking' mind you. No, she had it all figured out in her head. She assumed that her best friend's attempts at seduction would backfire, and that the two would get into a long and painful argument, she also guessed that it was going to lead to them both ending up in the bedroom. If there was one thing that the valkyrie always walked into, it just happened to be the succubus' bed chambers. "I bet they are totally sealing the deal right now," the girl mumbled to herself as she rested back on the couch in the male detective's building, it was opposite from the television, which she wasn't going to complain about. Although, she happened to be on her own at the current time. During the movie fest that she and Dyson had been watching, her stomach had started to grumble and he had offered to go out and get a pizza for them - which made him pretty much the stuff of legends in her eyes.

A small knock sounded at the door and she immediately got up from the sofa uttering a victorious, "jackpot."

She made her way across to the entrance, having constant food for thought even as she gripped the handle. When giving it a tug downwards and then pulling forward, she expected to see the brooding shifter with the flat square shaped box in his hand. Ultimately, that was not the case. Not when she was now facing the image of the good doctor instead. "Oh."

There was no more awkward reaction in existence that she could have given at that point in time. She froze up, just watching the confused woman like a guilty robot.

"Kenzi?" Lauren's brow furrowed in confusion, "what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Missy Lewis," the girl bounced back, trying to avoid giving a genuine answer as to why she was standing elsewhere other than the home she shared with the succubus.

"Dyson asked me to do an autopsy on a victim he found earlier, I came to give him the files," the doctor wasn't opposed to getting straight to the facts, although she was clearly distracted as she searched over the younger female's shoulders, in search for a certain brunette. "I thought you and Bo had plans tonight?"

"Well, we did..." Kenzi took a swing at responding, bringing her hand to rub behind her neck, "but something came up and she had to sort it out. It's nothing she can't handle."

"Is it a fight? Is she in danger?" Lauren's eyes widened just a little, out of reasons of concern for the absent woman.

"Uh, no, not quite." Blowing out a breath, the thief then thought it over, "okay, technically it could have been, but I'm sure everything is fine."

Without warning, the doctor leaned forward so that she could place the set of documents down onto the small counter next to the door, "I should go and make sure she is safe, tell Dyson that those are his files," she didn't spare a moment before she turned around and began to walk.

In a flash of panic, Kenzi was now racing behind her, taking a hold of her wrist, "hold on, there's no need for that, why don't you just...watch a movie? With me? There'll be pizza."

Now, Lauren began to suspect that something was wrong. Her footsteps came to a stop and she looked back across to the younger female. When did either of them want to spend time in one another's company? "Alright, what's going on?"

"What? Nothing, nothing is going on, you're delusional. Here, come in and sit down," Kenzi was rambling as she took the doctor by the hand and tried to lead her back into the apartment. She couldn't afford to let Bo and Tamsin's reconciliation be interrupted. Once she had managed to drag Lauren a few steps further, she raised her other palm and pressed it flatly to her forehead, "oh yeah, you're definitely burning up, you should just stay here...for the night."

"My bodily temperature is fine. The heat radiation, particle velocity and kinetic energy are an excellent average." The doctor gave a rebuttal, referring to her usual 'geek speaking' as she often did. Sometimes it happened without her knowing.

"Seriously, you need to get out more," Kenzi muttered under her breath and just as they reached the door, the older female put her foot down, causing them both to halt.

"You wouldn't ask me to stay if you weren't acting as a diversion. And you wouldn't act as a diversion unless..." In the end, the answer hurled itself into Lauren's mind, which caused her brows to knit, "...unless Bo was with Tamsin. That's it, isn't it? Tell me I'm wrong."

The thief saw no point in continuing to play along with her tactics of distraction, she lowered her arms in defeat and gave an exasperated sigh, "you're not wrong."

"I can't believe that she would-"

"Okay, stop right there," the girl intervened, "I know that you're all precious and that everyone cossets you, but you have no reason to get uptight about this."

"Are you kidding? I have _no_ reason to get worked up over the fact that my girlfriend is alone with an antagonistic valkyrie right now?" Lauren was appalled; her expression saying as much for her.

"Oh when are you going to give it a rest already? You and Bo have been under the weather for a long time, you're constantly pissed at her, and to be honest...I knew there would be cracks in your relationship from the start."

"Why am I not surprised, you've always taken a dislike to me, ever since the very beginning."

"I haven't actually," the thief argued, resting her hands on her hips to try and look more serious, "the moment you hurt Bo by getting her into bed for the first time was when I saw you as a conniving traitor."

"When are you going to let that go? I was under direct orders from-"

"From The Ash, yeah, yeah, I've heard that song about a million times. Just because he told you to distract Bo, it didn't mean that you had to do it. God, that was your choice to hurt her, you knew that. And you still went along with it."

"I made one mistake, Dyson has made his fair share of mistakes with Bo too, but...Tamsin? Have you forgotten the Hell that she has put your best friend through?" The doctor knew the answer, but she needed to ask, for the sake of bringing the valkyrie's flaws into the conversation in hopes it would act as a revelation.

Kenzi shook her head, refusing to waver over this, "I watch people, doc, when no one else is paying attention, I do. Tamsin might be cold, she might be a complete thickhead, but I've seen how she tries. She has saved my life...and she doesn't make me feel like some silly little girl, she makes me feel...needed."

"That's because you _are_ needed, Kenzi." In spite of the doctor's painful mood, she didn't want to make the younger girl out to be expendable.

"Yeah right, but how many people would have risked their life to save me? Me? Trick didn't, Hale wouldn't...you wouldn't." The conversation had taken a dull turn, but the girl held a sense of loyalty to the valkyrie. It had been respectfully earned. "Maybe Tamsin won't win samaritan of the year award, but she takes care of me."

"If I could see that side to her, then maybe I'd believe it," the doctor sighed, "but speaking as a person of logic, history proves that she is always going to be a hazard. Look at the damage she has done between myself and Bo. She plays her games-"

"No, she loves her," Kenzi pretty much snapped to the point where she surprised herself.

"I don't even think Tamsin is capable of that."

"Not Tamsin. _Bo._ I was talking about Bo."

"She...?" Now Lauren's eyes had become widened again as she heard such devastating news leave from the girl's lips. She knew that it couldn't be a lie. Kenzi may not have liked her, but she wasn't malicious enough to want to hurt her like this.

"I know that it's probably not like winning the lottery for you to hear that, but there's no point in lying to you." Kenzi straightened up, feeling just a twinge of regret for being the bearer of the bad announcement. "Look, the two of you were going to fall apart in the end. It wasn't a real relationship anyway, not when Bo has to rely on taking other lovers to live. Maybe you've convinced yourself that it's easy to deal with, but I bet it must hurt like Hell."

"...maybe so, but at least she never 'loved' any of them..." Lauren's tone was lowered, much like her sights as she glanced to the ground.

"Tamsin and Bo didn't plan this, it wasn't some grand conspiracy against you, but...the heart wants what the heart wants." The Russian wasn't going to congratulate herself for the wisdom she was giving, but she was taking the high road. It would have been simple for her to just admit that she wanted her best friend and the valkyrie to end up together, however that may have come across cruelly to Lauren, so she refrained from doing so.

"I need to go," the doctor's antics changed suddenly as she twisted and began to walk away again, one hand was raising to scratch behind her head, "I need to go."

Kenzi's eyes fluttered as she watched the departing form of the hurt human, "wait, where are you going? Lauren?" She called out once, but when there was no answer she tried again, "Lauren?"

Nothing.

The doctor just sped around the corner.

And ironically, when she had vanished, Dyson had also turned around, giving a confused look across his shoulder to the speedy woman. He thought nothing of it for the time being and made his way back over to the door of his apartment, holding the assumed box in his hand. "I got the pizza?" He said, still puzzled as he looked down to the troubled thief.

"I don't suppose you brought a crate of booze back with you? We're going to need it," Kenzi's voice had returned to showing signs of guilt.

She was not the right person for handling these scenarios.

Although, she knew that she was going to have to give Bo a call in order to give her a heads-up incase Lauren came-a-knocking.

Otherwise, more problems would break loose.

* * *

Well, well, it has taken dozens of chapters and drama to get here. But finally, we've made it to the infamous 'I love you'. Oh good gracious, even I felt such relief while writing it - so hopefully you all get the same kick out of reading it. xD

Obviously Tamsin tried to run as far and as fast as she could from it at first, but Bo just couldn't let her go this time, thank the heavens!

And then Kenzi had to take on the reigns herself when it came to Lauren, yikes. At least she got straight to the point though, right? ;]

I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, I feel like it's what we've all been waiting for. :'D

(Reviews. c': )

_Purple-Ketchup_ - Oh my Gwyneth Paltrow? Ah, I love it, I've never heard that one before, so major points! ;D  
Thank you, thank you, and I did put in a little Lauren/Kenzi talking into the fold, although since Kenzi was acting as a decent human being, the two didn't start a verbal war just yet...but all in good time. c':

_TheJojo99_ - Indeed that does mean that I will try to get back into my groove of giving quicker updates for you. I've missed writing this fic and a day doesn't pass where my mind isn't cracking away for more dramatic scenes or plot advancement along the way. Oh dear, you were reading doccop? You poor soul! Let me save you by giving you back your Valkubus haven! :'D  
I'm so glad that I've finally reached the point where Tamsin and Bo can just get their feelings out there in the open, without trying to hide it, so I'm hoping that you will enjoy! x]

_rita8miron_ - Me and you both, darlin', me and you both. Tamsin came pretty close to walking through that door, simply to keep herself in one piece. But, Bo didn't want to make it that easy for her. ;D  
Like you said, I wanted to keep it realistic and make Tammy resent the notion of being 'loved' at first, but I think that the succubus is finally beginning to get through to her. (of course, Valkubus action under the sheets also goes a long way to helping too though! xD )

_shannon1419_ - I am over the moon that you enjoyed it so much! You're too sweet! And I can only hope that you get the same entertainment from more Valkubus drama. ;D

_summersunshine8_ - Well, you are most definitely right about that. It would be impossible for Tamsin not to get angry about it all, she was in super defense mode! x]

_LukeJames_ - Then allow me to sate your addiction by giving you plenty more Bo/Tamsin scenes and drama! Yay! It's an early Christmas present from me to you! c;  
Thank you so much! You are incredibly awesome too! And I love that you enjoy the fic so much, woo! xD

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - I always feel like Tamsin will come close to knocking Lauren out. God knows what would happen if the two of them were ever alone together...not that I'm giving away spoilers or hints...;D

_bruubertolo_ - Indeed, those were very smart words from the good doctor, and I bet you'll do them so much justice too! xD  
Well, I like to think that I'm a master of methods and you are going to be my favorite person to test them on, ah-ha! c;  
Oh don't worry, if you need sated during our little exercise, I'm pretty sure that we can work something out, after all...since we're discussing succubus tactics, then we might as well take a hint from Bo's method of getting rid of her hunger, riiiight? x]  
Haha, it must be so frustrating how Bo tried to make the scene perfect, only to have Tamsin act like a complete ice queen about it, dear me.  
Awh, that is so awesome though! Hopefully I'll be able to post updates much quicker so that I won't have to keep you waiting too long, because I would hate to tease you like that. We all need some Valkubus in our weekly lives after all, and I plan to provide that as much as I can. But yes, I did miss you! *sniffle* *sniffle*

_Guest_ - You speak Spanish? Well, that is quite the skill, maybe we share some special telepathic bond...or it was just pure coincidence. ;D  
Te amo, mwahaha! c':

_MonsterGalore_ - Bo does come through in the end, she always wants to follow her heart, the poor woman! xD

_BSwifty1997_ - Why thank yah, I do try. ;D

_loveisaspainfulasdeath_ - There are always going to be timely cliffhangers in the world of Valkubus. :'D

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - Well, if there's ever going to be a cliffhanger, it might as well have been with Bo confessing her love, right? ;D But I'm glad that it has been so effective, because it'll only make the continuation more sweet, hopefully. Although you're quite right, Tamsin isn't foolish enough to just straighten up and believe Bo; she has to be convinced a hell of a lot.  
But thank you, I wish I had a valkyrie in my life who'd give me some fancy ass pendant, or I just wish that I had Tamsin in general. c':

_Javlalebb_ - I made you spill unconscious tears? Awh, that's so lovely! Although I kinda wish I could give you a reassuring pat on the shoulder; everything will be okay! :'D  
Thank you very much, and it's good to finally return, it feels like it has been forever and I hate to keep people waiting. x]  
I couldn't agree more though, the world needs so much Valkubus loving, it's been so long and it's just too damn tempting to write. But that is quite true, both parties in a relationship have to come to a compromise for success.  
Hell, I'm glad that you are so invested in the story! I love your reviews, so you're always more than welcome to share your mind over anything at all. (':

_FlipChick23_ - That is pretty damn true, Tamsin and Bo are definitely destined to be together (in my opinion at least) so hopefully they've finally realized that. x'D

_Capt. S_ - It is my pleasure and thank you for being kind enough to take the time to read, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. And that is awesome that you like The XX too, they have some awesome stuff! x]

_petronguacomole_ - I seem to have a habit of tormenting you through these ungodly chapters, don't I? ;D  
Although, never fear, hopefully there is going to be some relief and mercy on the horizon...but who the hell knows, because Lauren isn't going to be a happy doctor. Alas though, you're write, more of Tamsin's inner thoughts should be added, because it's certainly an area that I love to explore! c':

_awash_ - I feel like I really have tortured the hell out of these characters, so perhaps it's about time to give Bo and Tamsin so deserving happiness together. And you're right, our succubus is finally seeing that she can't have both Lauren and Tamsin, so she's making her choice now. :'D


	20. The Damage of Confession

"Nothing can compare

to when you roll the dice

and swear your love's for me."

- Dice, _Finley Quaye_

* * *

Throughout the next two hours of intense passion that had passed by, Tamsin found that she had been able to retain the dominant position on top. Although, it wasn't that the succubus made it a free pass, she was quite the fighter when it came to something she wanted. The valkyrie was clueless as to how she should explain the claw marks and bruising around her general torso area when she was next sparring with Dyson. It would be increasingly tricky, given that they were going to be in the boxing ring the day after tomorrow. As both females continued to lay in a tangled mess underneath the bedsheets, the blonde was breathing sporadically, yet, not as irregularly as the brunette below her. "Had enough yet, succulette?" She asked through a voice of utter victory, believing that throughout this battle of lust and owning she had won without question.

Bo was in the midst of recovering from the most recent peak of bliss that she had been sent to, but there was no way she would deny herself from meeting the detective's smarmy words. "You wish," she grinned slyly and wound her arms around the valkyrie so that she could trace over the burning scratch marks that had been left some time ago, "I'd never let you win."

"Good to know," Tamsin's own smirk held a glimmer of pride that she was able to draw out the fighting spirit from the brunette, "although I seem to recall that I have been winning for the past fifty minutes," she whispered into the throbbing pulse of the woman's neck.

The intimacy had been so wild between the pair that even the simple actions were making the succubus shudder in desire. Her body felt both overworked and fully sated. Over the course of the week, she had been so depressed over Tamsin's leaving that she had come close to starving herself of Chi; but that was more than accounted for now. Were it not impossible, then she would guess that she had been topped up for a lifetime. "You've been keeping track of time?" Bo's inquiry came through a chuckle.

As the valkyrie's nose scrunched, she let her teeth nip over the brunette's tender flesh, "there is a clock next to your bed, I had to do something to keep myself occupied while you were screaming my name."

"Tamsin!" The succubus gave the grinning blonde a playing whack in the shoulder, "you are impossible sometimes, I've never met a person who is so determined to win."

"I've told you before, Dennis, I'm not like all of your other mansy pansy lovers who let you do all of the work," the blonde was drawing her lips up to the succubus' ear, kissing along the skin, if she could, "I enjoy challenging you."

"Mm, I know you do," Bo stifled a small moan, "but no more time keeping, I can't have you embarrassing me constantly," while she attempted to reach out to switch off the digital clock on the wooden counter top, she caught a glance that it was past . Her finger came close to pressing the button on top, but before the chance was given, Tamsin had grasped her wrist, pinning her arm down to the bed.

"I think you have more important matters to concern yourself with," the valkyrie made a further implication as she slid her opposite hand lower between their bodies.

The succubus closed her eyes and arched her back when she was re-introduced to a very familiar touch, "oh, Tamsin," this time she couldn't hold in her ability to moan. She expected that she would be in for another mind-numbing climax soon enough, and with her restrained hand, she attempted to interlock her fingers with the valkyrie's; as a stable harbor for her to hold onto.

Despite the long spree of time that they had been in one anothers company, the valkyrie's eyebrow shot up the very second that she heard the front door swinging open from the downstairs floor. It triggered her frustration pretty rapidly, mainly because the disturbance had also caused the succubus to become alert, although, she looked more paranoid. Tamsin was just irritated.

"What in the world was that?" Already the brunette was sitting up, which in turn forced the blonde to disengage from her own position, "it sounds like someone has just broken in," she answered her own question as she shuffled out from underneath the covers, and her stubborn lover, in order to step out of the bed and reunite with her dress.

_'Someone who obviously has a death wish,'_ Tamsin thought to herself as she frowned. She knew that it could be potentially serious, but she also believed that she was still strong enough to deal with any threat. Now that she had won Bo over, she felt like she was capable of anything. "Maybe it's just Kenzi?"

"No way, she is with Dyson tonight," Bo explained as she stepped into the garment and began to pull it up her body, "she would have called first."

"We haven't exactly been listening to your phone, Bo, she could've left a dozen messages." The blonde gave a brief look around, to see where the female's mobile was, however, when she couldn't spy it, she gave up and decided upon rising from the mattress herself. A small ruckus could be heard from the floor below, so maybe it did convince her that something was out of the ordinary.

It didn't do much for the succubus' patience, she didn't wait around as she approached the hallway, picking up her trusty baseball bat from the shelf next to the door before exiting. Her fingers clamped tightly around the wooden hilt as she began to sneak along the corridor, toward the staircase. Each movement was skillfully quiet.

Even though the timing was inappropriate, the valkyrie found the brunette's defensive tactic to be rather...hot. _'A strapless dress and a baseball bat? I could get used to that,'_ she told herself as she too proceeded to change back into the previous clothes that she had been wearing. Although, her actions were more hasty, given that Bo had taken it upon herself to begin dealing with the matter already.

When the succubus had crept down the set of stairs - precisely avoiding the areas that were likely to creak - she held her breath and spun around the next corner. The weapon was sturdy in her hand, and if needed she was preparing to make a strike, but it never came to that. Not when her sights became filled with a very unexpected view. She must have looked like she had seen a ghost with the way she had frozen up, uttering one name only, "Lauren?"

Yes, Lauren.

The doctor was the culprit who had entered the house through her own means of the unlocked door. She appeared to be in a state of depression and anxiety by first glance alone. Her eyes were darker underneath and her nose wrinkled in a form of resentment when she gave Bo's outfit the once over. "Is it true?" Was all she asked.

Not only was the succubus shocked by this visit, but she was swarmed with guilt purely because she could sense that the female across from her had insight into what was going on. Still, she chose to play dumb, for the sake of not being blunt. "What are you doing here? Is what true?"

"Don't toy with me, Bo," the doctor snapped suddenly, knowing the brunette's tactic better than was assumed, "Kenzi told me everything," she may have exaggerated, but she was fuming, "are you in love with Tamsin?"

_'Kenzi'_, the succubus' mind jumped to her friend, and her eyes soon shot across to the coffee table where she had left her phone. The screen was flashing with several missed calls. Damn it, she had been so involved with the valkyrie that she hadn't heard a thing, otherwise she would have been better prepared to handle this.

"Answer me!" Lauren lost patience again - and her small outburst brought the brunette into a startlement, so much so, that the two were back to locking eyes again.

"Yes!" Before Bo even realized how forwardly and honestly she had answered, it was too late, the word was out, from her own lips. Immediately she clasped a hand over her mouth as though she had announced some catastrophic felony. Not that she believed her feelings for the valkyrie were wrong, but the way she confirmed to it made it look as though the doctor had just been shot in the heart.

It was incredible to see how Lauren's shaky demeanor had broken down even more now that her own girlfriend was laying each fact to rest. Her bottom lip was trembling and her irises were glazing over. It took a lot to make someone as steadfast as the doctor cry, but right now, she was verging on obvious tears.

"Lauren, I..." Bo didn't truly know what she could say to undo the pain she had emotionally inflicted onto the other woman - it had been what she desired to avoid - yet given the circumstance, it was bound to happen sooner or later. "I never wanted to hurt you," she finally said, and it was the God's honest truth. She was too good of a person.

Benevolent, not malevolent.

The doctor's stance grew twice as tense as she forced a bitter and sorrow-filled laugh from her lips, "well you have certainly done a bang up job, haven't you?"

"Don't say that," the brunette was starting to frown from a combination of guilt and defense, "you know me, I wouldn't ever try to cause you pain."

"No, I _knew_ you, or at least I thought I did," Lauren accused, unmoving from her tight posture, "this must be so easy for you, having all of these doting hearts around you. You can choose whoever you want, Dyson, Tamsin, who's next, Bo? The Morrigan?"

Instead of trying to bite back and defend herself, the succubus felt as though she deserved the insults, so her lips drew a thin line and she took it all in. The doctor had every right to hate her for this. A broken heart was a horrible thing to endure. She had known that on a few occasions herself.

"What? No excuses? No justification?" The doctor pressed further as her angered eyes searched the brunette's hazel ones, although it didn't help when Bo averted her gaze downwards to avoid the contact. "Is it a succubus thing? To love and leave people? Did you even care about me at all? Even for a moment? Or was this all just some sick game to you? I've spent the past two hours wandering the town, trying to work this all out in my head and I'm still confused. How could you be so...heartless, Bo? _You_ of all people?"

"I think you need to back off," Tamsin made a sudden interjection now that she had reached the bottom floor, entering the same living area where this mess was generating. She'd taken her time to give the brunette a chance for privacy, but the moment she heard that Bo wasn't going to defend herself against the verbal assaults, she was instantaneous to step in. Unlike the succubus, her own eyes were locking with Lauren's quite intensely.

"And what do you know, it is everyones favorite little life ruiner." The doctor didn't consider the risks of even taking a jab at the blonde; her emotions were running too wild.

"That's not fair, doctor, you should never refer to yourself in the third person like that." As for returning equal words of fire - if not more jagged ones - the valkyrie was never going to shy away from that. She stood by one of the counters, near to both other females, but not in arms reach of either.

"You don't even have a heart beating inside of your chest do you?"

Tamsin gave into her temptation to wear a partial smirk as she swayed a step to the side, and then another, "why don't you ask your girlfriend, she knows a lot about that," she stated in a bittersweet way as she looped an arm around the pale succubus' shoulder, "sorry, I should say _ex_-girlfriend."

"Tamsin..." Bo was pleading for the blonde not to make this worse as she placed a hand against her abdomen.

"Yes, _my_ angel?" The valkyrie didn't have to respond in that context per se, but she done so purely to get some payback into the doctor. It wouldn't do anything for the tension - except from increase it tenfold.

"Please, let me handle this," the succubus' voice was quiet and held a sadder tint to it than usual, but unconsciously her thumb was stroking over the material of the valkyrie's shirt - just to let her know that her presence and support here was very much appreciated.

There was no greater killjoy to the detective than having to keep out of it, but she would do anything for Bo, so she mumbled a small, "sure," before she took a step back until she was seated on the arm of the sofa. By the time she focused back on the doctor, she could see that Lauren probably wished she had a gun right about now, so that she could end her problem in bullets.

"You have both become really quite cozy, haven't you?" The medical professional sounded more distressed and irritated by the minute as she glared from female to female. In her intellectual mind, she wasn't entirely sure how she should cope with a situation as hazardous to her feelings as this one. In the past competing with Dyson had been unbearable. But now it wasn't a competition, not when a winner had seemingly been chosen.

_'We've been cozy for the past two hours,'_ the valkyrie thought to herself, although for the sake of not making things worse, she decided against saying it out loud. She could just enjoy the inner smugness to herself for the time being.

On the other hand, Bo wasn't able to draw the same kind of joy from - what she considered - a hellish predicament. She looked half as lively as she did before this uncalled for disturbance. "Let me explain..."

"Explain what, exactly?" Lauren's teeth were gritting, and she repeated with more aggression, "explain WHAT?"

"...that I didn't plan this, that it wasn't some conspiracy to hurt you."

"You sound just like Kenzi, boy, I guess you must have trained her well."

"Lauren..." Bo couldn't fathom how to handle the het up doctor, she had never seen her act this brash before. Heartbreak surely brought out a person's coldness and negativity. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that degrading tone of voice while speaking about my _best_ friend." She gave a warning - and only one - Kenzi was the sister she never had, so even in her absence, she would rightfully defend her.

"I didn't mean that." Somewhere the kinder side of Lauren's psyche was able to break through and apologize for the mistake, but it didn't dwell her fury on the more critical subject - her girlfriend's betrayal. She was lost. Well and truly lost. It hurt like hell. Her anger had gotten her nowhere, so she was pushed to the next form of reaction; graveling. "Bo, you can't be serious about this, please...Tamsin is incalculable, and impertinent, and...and insidious."

Even though all descriptive words were in a negative fashion, the valkyrie was grinning warmly, "oh, insidious, that's a first," as wrong as it was, she seemed to be genuinely impressed, "I just got tingles."

When it was established that both the doctor and the succubus were giving equal glares in the blonde's direction, it was obvious that her input wasn't appropriate. She took note to that and shrugged her shoulders, "sorry, continue."

The doctor's frown became a sore scowl of disbelief that the detective could even choose to breach the borders of realistic arrogance. Nevertheless, she chose to avert her focus back to the succubus - whom she needed to regain the affection of, if possible. Neglecting caution, she took a step inwards, "Bo, listen to me, this year has been difficult on us both, there have been times where we've been confused, but deep in my heart I know that we are supposed to be together. I refuse to believe that it ends just like this."

Perhaps the fact that all three women were under the same roof made this all seem much worse, but the brunette wouldn't have had it any other way. She needed to give the valkyrie some solid proof that this wasn't a joke, or worse, a game. "You have no idea how sorry I am Lauren, but this is for the best. Our relationship was beautiful, and yet you are human...it was flawed from the start."

"So...I'm a flaw now?"

"I didn't say that. My ability to kill your kind is the flaw."

"And if there wasn't a risk of you killing humans...would we still be together?"

Well, shoot, the succubus was unprepared for that question to be posed, she should have seen it coming. However, it didn't change the fact that she had an answer anyway, "no."

"No?" Lauren's voice cracked midway through the strained syllable, she hadn't expected that answer, as given by her widening eyes.

Bo was also resorting to breathing through a pattern of jitters, she was hurting a woman who she had spent these past couple of years loving from close and afar, it was bound to be a devastating blow. Anyone could understand that. "It wouldn't have been fair to you...if...if we were destined to be together, if...I mean...if my heart was supposed to be yours...then how could it choose to love another?"

_'Excellent logic'_, Tamsin continued with her inner debate over the matter, _'she acknowledges that we belong together, finally.'_

"That is insane logic," Lauren's argument was contradictory to the blonde's viewpoint, "how can a short fling with a valkyrie override everything we have ever shared together? We have been through so much, Bo, I think you are scared of commitment, so you are trying to hide away with Tamsin."

"That isn't true, I...I love her, it took me a while to realize it, but I do..." Even the succubus was pushing to the point where she was tredding on tears, she hated the emotional set backs that this conversation was having. The toll was awful. She didn't want to be wrong for loving the valkyrie, she didn't want to be condemned or feel guilty for it - she just wanted to be with the blonde, was that so difficult to understand? "I **am** in love with her Lauren, I know that this isn't what you wanted, God knows I didn't see it coming myself, but I am s-"

"Sorry? You sing the same old song, you are always sorry," the doctor was breathing heavily, mentally unable to process this unwanted end to her relationship, she inched forward still, until she was directly in front of Bo, "tell me what I can do to make this right, please."

Bo, who was unable to look up, shook her head weakly, "nothing, I have made up my mind, if you want to do something...just be happy for me, okay?"

"I can't do that," Lauren denied the request promptly, "you know that we are right for each other, somewhere, you have to." Certain that her facts were accurate, she leaned forward and grasped the brunette by the cheeks, drawing her in to an abrupt kiss - on the lips - naturally. She was trying to rekindle any sense of hope for herself and the succubus, in one last ditch effort to win her over and remind her of what they had.

The brunette was taken aback by the event, but she simply couldn't reciprocate, not this time. Although she could sense a bad vibe from the corner of the room, and she knew why. She raised both of her hands, preparing to give the good doctor a soft nudge back.

But it never came to that.

Oh no, by the time that even so much as _one_ full second had passed, Tamsin was no longer sat on by the couch. Like a hurricane, she sped across the room, using a vice-like grip against Lauren's arm before she hauled her away. The ripping force was enough to send the other female stumbling a step or two. "How dare you touch her, without permission," the valkyrie was growling dangerously as she tightened her right hand down into a lethal fist, "I ought to knock the smarts right out of you doc," she added, beginning to raise her arm, as though in preparation for a strike.

The succubus knew that Lauren stood no chance against a front on hit from an angry valkyrie, so she stretched her hand out and caught Tamsin's wrist, trying to spare them all from more destruction, "it's alright."

"Alright?" The blonde spat, refusing to move her sights from the now-fearful doctor, "how can it possibly be alright? I don't take well to people touching what is mine. Clearly Lauren is on a suicidal path to win you back, it is not going to end well for her unless she backs the hell off."

Even after speaking, Tamsin was still set on trying to move closer to the other woman, but she was restricted when she felt Bo's hold tighten around her forearm, acting as a safe guard.

"You see, this is what I am talking about, she is too brutal for you Bo," Lauren said as she rubbed her arm which had been sorely grabbed just moments ago, "she is like poison."

"Poison huh? Then let me show you just how deadly I can be!" That done it, the blonde was tearing her wrist from the brunette's grip and storming forward. She shot her hand out and aimed to wrench a hold of the doctor's shirt.

Again, with Bo being the only one willing to act reasonable, she pushed herself in between both other women, but mainly she was focusing on grabbing Tamsin by the shoulders, "stop, please," she was praying as she fought to act as a barrier, keeping the blonde still, "take the high road."

"I hate the high road, brawling is so much more enjoyable," Tamsin argued, however, when she realized that the brunette wasn't going to budge, she didn't want to risk hurting her in the process, so she yielded and stopped although not before she pointed sternly to Lauren, uttering a very serious, "consider this your lucky day."

It could be argued that this was definitely not the most fortunate day ever for Lauren, but at least she was still in perfect condition - to which she owed immense gratitude to the selfless succubus for.

"The only way we move on from this is by talking it through," Bo reasoned as she loosened her grip on the valkyrie and glanced across her shoulder to the doctor, "we live in the same town so we are going to run into each other, and work together, but we have to keep it professional. No more arguing or bickering over who I belong to, life is going to go on, it will take time, but these are the choices I have made. I can't make this any clearer to you Lauren, so I will say it again, I love Tamsin and I can see that I've hurt you, so I really am-"

"Save it, I've heard enough of this," the doctor didn't even allow the brunette to finish with another apology. She was in the midst of breaking down as she spun around and marched to the door. The house was suffocating her, much like the company inside and she just wanted out. She fled from the building in a hurry and slammed the door behind her, so harshly that the hinges rattled for seconds afterwards. The situation couldn't have been improved, but it wasn't for the worst either. If things had been really bad, Lauren may have been limping out instead.

Bo was trying to hold herself together as she kept her eyes on the exit of the building; she didn't like the idea that the doctor was roaming around on her own without a stable head on her shoulders. The town was a dangerous place for someone vulnerable, and human. She willed herself not to shed anymore tears, mainly because she couldn't afford to look weak in front of the valkyrie. She needed to be strong. Her fingers were still clutching firmly to the blonde's shirt and she hadn't even realized.

"Good riddance," the valkyrie mumbled, still torqued up over the fact that she hadn't been able to give the doctor a piece of her mind, "if she ever lays a hand on you again then I will rip her arm off and beat her to death with it."

Jealous much? Well, it was a mixture of that and provoked anger. Even to this point she could still only see red.

"She won't," Bo found the power to turn herself around so that she could look at the blonde, "I'm sorry about that...I should have pushed her back-"

"Don't worry about it, you were just shocked and besides, it's not like you actually responded to her kiss, right?"

"Right, I didn't, I mean, I _wouldn't_," the succubus shook her head, confused as she leaned into the valkyrie, resting her forehead against her collarbone as she sighed into her, "this is so messed up, I just want to be happy with you, but hurting Lauren like this, it makes me feel like some heartless fiend."

_'Am I supposed to hug her?'_ Tamsin wasn't sure, she didn't really ever recall a time where she was needed to give support and comfort to someone. It wasn't entirely her 'thing'. But what the hell, this was Bo. She slipped her arms around the succubus' waist and guided her fingertips along her back, "screw what she said, you aren't heartless, believe me...I should know. You are just trying to find your own happiness, there isn't a crime against that. It is your life, you can do what you want with it, just because you love Lauren, it doesn't mean that you have to sign your soul over to her for the rest of your days. Relationships come and go all of the time." The valkyrie was trying to be decent with her words, voicing some of her own beliefs on the matter also, however there was still a point that she wanted to touch on again, "you aren't some heartless fiend."

The words were like a soothing melody to the succubus' wounded soul at that moment, she hadn't thought that it was possible to adore the detective anymore and she was dead wrong. Bo cuddled closer to the valkyrie, burying her face into the crook of her neck while her hands stroked along her sides, "thank you for understanding and...for not killing Lauren."

"I wouldn't have killed her," the blonde's eyes rolled, "you'd never forgive me if I did and besides, she isn't even worth the effort of putting down."

"Just because I want her alive...it doesn't mean that I love her more than you," Bo wanted to declare, so that she didn't give off the wrong impression, "I don't want to do anything to hurt you Tamsin, I've done that far too much already."

"It's fine, pain is an old friend of mine," the valkyrie desired to close her eyes when she felt the brunette placing very light kisses to her neck, but she didn't, "look, I didn't mean to lash out, but as soon as she planted her lips on you, I panicked."

"Over what?"

"I'm not proud to admit it but..." Tamsin was gritting her teeth and tensing her jaw as she tried to find the best way of wording what was on her mind, "a part of me believed that you would choose Lauren again."

When there wasn't an immediate response, the blonde cursed herself for having to be so bluntly honest,_ 'shit, why isn't she saying anything?'_ More seconds passed before she had chosen to lean back and look down so that she could get a better view of the brunette.

And notably, the succubus was frowning at the ground; looking like a stubborn child who had just been reprimanded. "Why am _I_ the only one who believes that I love you? What is it going to take? What do I need to do to prove it you you?"

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that." When the blonde reached out to touch the succubus shoulder, she found that the female was pulling away, wishing to avoid the contact. "Don't be stubborn," Tamsin warned and chanced her luck again, only this time she was able to take a hold of Bo's arm in order to guide her closer again, "I do believe you, but she did bring up a point, you gave up everything with her, just to be with me...and we barely even get along."

"Then shouldn't that be proof enough?" Bo pouted, feeling the need to stomp her foot on the ground, but then that would have been too childish so she restrained herself, "I told you hours ago, you have been plaguing my heart for a long time, this wasn't a choice I made in a day, Tamsin. God, it has been a nightmare."

"What makes you think that sometime down the line you won't meet some other Fae who wins your heart over?"

"That won't happen," the succubus groaned and brought her hands to cup the valkyrie's cheeks.

"How can you be so sure?"

"First of all, I know that this is different, I can feel it in my bones," Bo explained as she caressed her fingers along the detective's jawbone, "and secondly, you'd kill any other Fae before I even got the chance to lock eyes with them...right?"

"Good answer," the blonde came close to grinning as she brought her lips to the brunette's, planting a small kiss to her lips.

Unlike the mishap with the doctor, the succubus was happy enough to respond to the contact this time. It felt natural and right. She hadn't noticed it until now, but when comparing kisses, she found that Tamsin's held much more conviction, as if each one was special. Even the small ones.

"It has been a long day," the brunette spoke into the contact as she coiled her arms around the detective's neck, "how about you take me to bed and we call it a night?"

"I can live with that," Tamsin said, and even though she was disappointed that their expedition of intimacy was put on hold, she was willing to put Bo's needs first. Maybe some some quiet time together would do them good. It felt as if it had been an eternity since she had last slept.

Keeping her arms wrapped comfortably around the succubus' waist, she began to walk in the direction of the staircase, slowly.

Her intentions were just to survive the rest of the night and enjoy being in the brunette's company.

Hopefully things would be better tomorrow.

* * *

When the time for morning had washed over the town, the clock had struck and inside the station of the law enforcement, Kenzi was pacing back and forth, biting down on her thumbnail. She hadn't been called back last night so she was writing off all possibilities in her head. What if Tamsin and Bo weren't with each other? Did Lauren barge into the house? Anything could have happened. And while, yes, she could have visited the building herself, she didn't for two reasons. One being that she couldn't cope with the mental scar if she walked in one some succu-valkyrie-sex, and two, she was too busy having to explain the entire situation to Dyson. To her surprise, he had been able to guess half of the facts before she even confirmed them, but then again, he was a detective and his senses were extra sharp. Even now, inside the building, the male was sat at his desk, jotting down notes for the case files he had been working through. The thief couldn't tell where his mind was at over all of the news he had been informed of. Was she wrong to fill him in on the blanks? No, surely not, after all, if the doctor knew then word was going to get out eventually.

"Okay, D-man, the suspense is killing me," Kenzi gave up as she stood by the desk, leaning both hands on the surface, "quit being all mysterious and brooding, are you mad?"

Dyson gave an unsuspecting chuckle, regarding the question while his eyes scanned over the documents in front of him, "mad?"

"Well, yeah, you aren't really saying too much...you're just kinda working," the girl placed her hand atop the male's to stop the motion of his pen from writing any further words at the current time, "tell me where your head is at on this, I don't want you to go all crazy dude."

"I didn't plan on it." Now that the detective had no choice other than to engage in the conversation, he laid the work down to rest and leaned back in his chair until his undying focus was on the succubus' friend. "I can see why you think I would be angry, given my history with Bo, but I have lived for a long time Kenzi, I'm able to deal with unexpected developments."

"...so, you're not mad? Like you aren't going to want to chew on Tamsin's ankle? Or worse?"

A small sigh passed through Dyson's lips and he shook his head, "no, she might be a handful, but she has grown on me. Bo is important to me and Tamsin is my partner, if they are both serious about one another, then who am I to intervene?"

"Wow, you're better than Yoda right now," Kenzi couldn't deny that it did stun her to see the shifter's reasonable acceptance, "I thought you'd get all growly for sure."

"I let it run through my mind last night, over and over, and I realized that there are two important people in my life who care about each other. I value Bo and Tamsin to different degrees, but what I've found with both of them is that they deserve to be happy. Now, if that answers your question, all of this paperwork isn't just for show." With a very slight smile, the male appreciated that he wasn't being stopped from continuing with his work for the morning. He lifted up the pen again, preparing to pick up from where he left off.

And Kenzi was going to let him, until another valid point flashed red in her mind, "what are we going to do about Lauren? She was pretty steamed when she left yesterday."

"I'll talk to her." The detective's answer was final and without a great detail of thought.

"You? As in..._y-o-u?_" Kenzi was hit with double the shock. Everything in life was too unpredictable, because she was quite sure that the doctor and the male shifter did not see eye to eye. This was all crazy.

"Well, she and I have both been in love with Bo, I think I'm the best person for it," he explained whilst his gaze swept to the next page of paper than needed filling out.

The office was fairly empty for the time being, however that changed soon enough when Kenzi glanced across to the door and saw that both the succubus and valkyrie in question were walking into the room. Typically, Bo was leading the way with confident footing while Tamsin was being her usual distant self, trailing behind.

"Hey guys," the brunette announced happily enough, drawing the male's attention as she approached the desk.

Her best friend was the quickest to respond with a curious, "hi yourself."

Kenzi's sights were flickering from one woman to the next as she tried to piece together what had happened between them last night.

Nothing appeared different so far, but the two of them did enter together, so she guessed that they must've been inseparable.

The valkyrie wasn't letting a hint of emotion escape as she ventured closer to the wooden table so that she could lean down and look over Dyson's shoulder, "what's up, wolfboy? All work and no play must make you very dull. There is something outside...called_ life_, you might want to take a break and enjoy it sometime."

"I will if you will," the male smirked and he felt a firm pat to his shoulder, courtesy of the blonde, which meant that he was sharper than she'd expected. They were always in competition when it came to wit and puns.

"Touché," Tamsin mumbled and gave a brief scan over the files, but not so long that she bored herself by reading any details.

"I don't suppose you want to grab over a pen and help me with this, partner?"

"Hm, as 'fun' as that sounds, I'm more of an action girl, I work better when I'm using a pen as a weapon...not as a tool to write down tedious details with. So, I'm going to have to pass."

"Oh, my wounded heart."

At the male's reaction, the valkyrie was grinning as she pulled away again, although said expression started to fade when she saw the way that Kenzi was gawking at her. "What?"

Suddenly the younger female was pulled back into reality, jumping from the abrupt question, "huh? Oh, uh...nothing, nothing, I didn't say anything..."

"Then why do you keep staring at me like that?" Tamsin took a step closer, raising a brow.

"Like what? I'm not staring...was I staring?" The thief tried to pass of her words through a light chuckle, but when she noticed that she was being watched by all three of her unconvinced friends, she could see that she was easy to read. "Okay fine, fine, maybe I was, but I mean...come on, I can't be the only one wanting to talk about what is going on. What the HELL happened? I need details, did you two spend the night? Are you married yet? Having twins? Did Bo get you pregnant? Do I have to move out of the house to give you both space...!?" No one other than Kenzi could ask quite so many absurd questions in the one go, but she was bursting with a wary enthusiasm, to her credit. She didn't want to tip-toe around things anymore, it was pointless.

By the end of the rant, Bo's cheeks were beaming pink, and yet, the valkyrie was able to keep pretty composed. "Kenzi," the succubus said through a disbelieving breath, "slow down, I..." she didn't know where to begin responding, partially because she felt awkward with Dyson sitting at the table in front of her.

Kenzi noticed the hesitation and put two and two together, "oh, don't worry, Mister Howl knows."

"You told him!?" Bo's eyes became wide; astounded.

"Actually, I guessed," the male rose his hand to confess the truth.

"Yeah, he totally guessed," Kenzi agreed quickly, "he's a detective y'know, it's what they do. So, we want all of the details, are you playing on team Tamsin now? Hmmmmmm?"

_'Team Tamsin?'_ the blonde was cringing inside, but she resorted to rolling her eyes outwardly, "you have a name for it already? Great."

Even under the revelation that everyone was on the same page and up to date with the events of the recent game of love, the succubus still felt uneasy to open up about it so early on. She had expected more frustration from Dyson, but he was grinning...which was probably better than the other alternatives. "Well, Tamsin and I had a long talk last night and we have both acknowledged that we love each other very much. We've also decided to give this a real shot." Bo's explanation was supposed to be an easy let down for the male, just in case he was still holding onto anything that used to exist between them. Her method was discreet.

But Tamsin's? Not so much.

"Dyson, I hope the fact that I've won Bo over doesn't change things between us. Working with a pissed off wolf isn't what I signed up for," the blonde gave a blank statement as she looked over to her partner. Even though she would never admit it, she valued the other detective as a close friend, so it would have been a damn shame to lose him over this.

Again, his expression was calm and the same faint grin sat upon his lips, "I'll tell you what, buy me a drink later and we'll call it even."

"Done."

Kenzi was still looking from face to face throughout this event as she tried to keep up with every word being emitted, yet it took a fleeting moment before she was letting her joy burst. She quite energetically jumped into the valkyrie's arms, "shitballs, this is awesome!"

The blonde was unprepared, but in a split second effort, she had caught the human girl before the two of them ended up staggering all over the place. Hell, she didn't know whether this was an awkward hug or a play wrestle, Kenzi had literally just lunged at her. "Are you high or something, kid?"

"High with Tam-Bo feelings! I _knew_ it, I knew that you would both be together one day, life finally makes sense again, because honey, you and your angst have been miserable lately," Kenzi rambled on as she gave a bright smile to the detective. The two of them were just kind of swaying on the spot, which wasn't a sight that would normally have been predicted. "Thank God, no more of this _'I love Bo but I can never be with her'_ drabble."

Tamsin could see that the succubus was beginning to grin with the open admissions being made by her friend, so she needed to stop it, "okay Kenzi-"

"No more pining over Bo, or loving her from afar, no more worshiping that high quality picture of her that you have stored away in your truck."

"OKAY, KENZI! Point taken, just tone it down will you," the valkyrie's cheeks were bordering on changing to a brighter shade with the way that she had the girl spilling all of her secrets. Because, yes, she had kept the picture of the succubus which she had used when interrogating the Dark Fae in a coma. As if she would ever get rid of it. She just didn't expect that the thief would've been brave enough to snoop around her vehicle. Tamsin could see the knowing grin on Bo's face, as well as Dyson's, so she began to fume slightly, "oh, screw you both, it's not what you think."

"Sure thing, partner, whatever you say," the male gave a casual whistle as he drifted his eyes back down to his workload, "I bet your reasons are purely professional."

"Yeah? Well screw you twice, fangs."

"Now, now, don't be so embarrassed over it," Kenzi's smile was unfading as she pinched a hold of the blonde's cheeks, "you and Bo are together now, everything is legit between you both. Like you could cop a feel and it'd be completely normal."

Tamsin was growling when she felt the way that the girl was handling her as though she was some harmless puppy, "I think we are all getting ahead of ourselves here, Bo and I aren't going to skip down the yellow brick road together, this is new for us."

"Why do you have to be so morbid everything?" The girl was giving a small groan of frustration, "you are supposed to enjoy relationships, blondie, that's the whole point."

"I never said that love would turn me into Miss Sunshine and Smiles," the valkyrie took a hold of Kenzi's wrists and gave a fairly soft yank so that her cheeks were no longer being caressed or stroked, "and by the way," she slid her left hand down to the girl's thigh before she squeezed firmly, "that is for trying to embarrass me."

Instantly the thief was squirming from the odd pressure against her leg, it didn't hurt as such, it just jiggled her nerves slightly which caused her to yelp, "I was trying to express how much you love Bo, because even now you're still trying to hide it, I think someone is a little shy when it comes to showing public affection."

"And I think someone is about to get knocked flat on their ass if they keep pushing their luck," Tamsin began to give her trademark smirk. She would never physically do anything to harm Kenzi, the two of them just had an interesting way of showing their fondness for one another, which usually consisted of playful taunts and teases.

"Blondie, it is so good to have you back in town," Kenzi was delighted as she planted a random kiss to the valkyrie's cheek, "I was mega bored without you around, so if you ever try to run like that again I will personally hunt you down, tie you up and drag your sarcastic little ass back here."

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too," the blonde's nose was scrunched due to the aftermath of the kiss she had received. Even to this point, she wasn't used to having a friend quite so...well...friendly before. To be fair, she found it simply weird to discuss this new relationship that she and the succubus were embarking on. Sure, Kenzi had known about the romance and conflict for a long time, but with Dyson and Lauren also being involved, it only made it more real. She wasn't comfortable with the world knowing how she felt for Bo, mainly because it gave her an open weakness, didn't it? At least when she pretended to hate the brunette, no one would've even thought about harming her as a way to get to the blonde. Now, everything was uncertain.

During her short conversation with Kenzi - in which time she also remembered to stop squeezing her thigh - she looked across to the succubus, seeing that she was involved in some light discussion with Dyson over whatever he was doing. Still that taxing paperwork no doubt.

Eventually she stepped back over to the desk area, leaning a little behind Bo so that she could peer over her shoulder, as if she was taking some form of interest. From what she could see, the files and photographs were detailing some deceased Fae, "ouch, that looks pretty nasty," she placed her index finger down onto the center of a picture, indicating to the bruising and tiny dark veins that were on the victim's chest; directly at the heart.

"It does," Bo agreed as she to rested her hand on the table surface, "all of these dead Fae have the same marks on their chests," she just spoke from what she saw and unconsciously glided her fingertips over the top of Tamsin's hand, "why is it always the heart?"

"What better organ to aim for," the valkyrie answered callously as she let her thumb brush along the succubus' index digit, "it's the most vital, every killer in the world would target it."

The brunette's concentration on the files was breaking when she became too absorbed in the light contact between herself and the detective. She could feel Tamsin's breath down her neck, and her other hand ghosting by her hipbone. It must have been significant because it felt like it was sending pleasant electric currents through her body. She was tempted to lean further into the valkyrie, but they weren't alone so she couldn't risk it. The blonde didn't strike her as the type who would flaunt romance in front of others.

"So, something is killing these Fae?" Tamsin didn't sound too concerned with the issue, but then that was just her detached attitude coming in to play. Whether intended or not, she was pressing her front tighter into Bo's back in order to get a closer view from over her shoulder.

_'She has no idea what she does to me',_ Bo was virtually struggling to restrain herself from initiating something that the detective would be too embarrassed to finish, yet it was difficult. All she could feel was the other woman's breasts pushing into her shoulderblades. The urge to want to move her hips back was strengthening every second. With all of the intimacy the two had shared the previous night, she was amazed that the valkyrie was able to spark this much early morning arousal from her. It was just surreal and unheard of.

AND above all, Tamsin was probably _acting_ as though she didn't even seem to be aware of the way she was affecting the succubus.

Before anything too wild exploded in the room, the brunette's trance was unfortunately broken when Dyson had chosen to respond to his partner's question.

"Something or someone, I'm not too sure, I've been working on this case for the past three days, I actually need..." He paused, unsure of whether continuing would be wise, but this was for the good of the case, so he proceeded, "I need to speak with Lauren, to find out what she knows. She left her autopsy files in my place last night, but I haven't been able to reach her since."

"What do you mean?" Bo wished she could have stayed transfixed in the desire of being closer to the blonde, but hearing that her recently turned ex-girlfriend hadn't been returning calls was perhaps a cause for worry.

"She isn't answering her cellphone and when I stopped by her place this morning, she wasn't home. The door was unlocked, so..."

"So she has been out all night? Alone?"

Tamsin's eyes were rolling when she detected the concern in the succubus' tone, "boo hoo, she's probably just gone to some bar to get drunk, it's a normal reaction, trust me."

"And if she hasn't?" Bo asked, tilting her head so that she could look at the detective from an across-the-shoulder view.

"That isn't your problem anymore, you can't always run off to play this woman's hero, you'll only be putting yourself at risk."

"Tamsin..."

"I'm serious, Bo," the valkyrie frowned and took a step back to rid herself of the close contact so that she could cross her arms over her chest instead, "I know you have a good heart and I know that you want to save everyone, but there are bigger issues to deal with. If something is killing Fae off like houseflies in a kitchen then you can't risk racing off to save your old flame."

The tension created between the two hadn't taken too long to build; which is exactly why Tamsin didn't want everyone to cheer and get their hopes up. Yes, she and Bo loved each other, but they also clashed like fire against ice.

Kenzi's choice of staying silent came to an end the moment that she heard the valkyrie trying to reason, "Tamsin is right, Bo Bo, for all we know there could be danger on every street corner."

"Didn't you hear Dyson? He needs to speak with Lauren to find out what she knows, she could've deducted what the killer is...or why these Fae look like their chest has been hit by a sledgehammer." Maybe it wasn't smart for Bo to make protests and defend her own logic, not with her history with the doctor being involved, but she couldn't help it. Once an altruist, always an altruist. "What if Lauren is hurt? We'd all want someone to find us if we were missing."

"I didn't," Tamsin disagreed openly, she caught a steady glare from the brunette.

"Do you always have to disagree with me?"

"I'll tell you what, I'll agree _merrily_ with everything you say if you choose to let this hunt for the doctor go."

"I..." the succubus was stuck, she really didn't want to argue with the same female she had confessed to loving, but she couldn't risk letting the missing human come to harm either, "...if you love me for who I am, then you'll already know the answer to that."

From what Kenzi could translate, her best friend was pretty much saying 'sorry, but I'll always play hero'. It made her cringe now that she had just sailed forth with a new relationship. Already she was set on finding her ex-girlfriend. Even though it wasn't out of anything other than wanting to make sure she was alive, it was still very early to even consider it.

Thankfully, Tamsin had a pre-conceived idea of what the answer was going to be, so she didn't let it phase her. The damn succubus had a point, she had been enthralled by her do-gooder persona and asking her to change now would be off of the cards. "Fine," the valkyrie was frowning out of sheer boredom that it was so easy to guess what Bo would choose to do, "lets go and drag Lauren back here, kicking and screaming."

"Wait..." the succubus' face washed over with an evident shock, much like Kenzi and Dyson's had also done, "huh?"

"If you love me for who I am, then you'll _already_ know that I would do anything to help you," the detective was turning on her heels and walking to the door, "this isn't for the doctor, this is purely because I know you wouldn't live with yourself if one hair on her pretty little head was harmed."

Bo's heart melted in her chest, she had expected that the blonde would want no part of this, but instead she was met with the opposite reaction. How was it possible to continually fall for the same woman over and over? Her eyes didn't move from the valkyrie's walking form. "Dyson, Kenzi, see if the two of you can reach Lauren at her house again...Tamsin and I will search the town..." Her words were distant as she began to follow after the detective, but she didn't get far.

Out of nowhere, Dyson had reached her and was taking a hold of her arm, "Bo, I hope you know what you are doing."

"Dyson," the succubus was smiling a little nervously, unsure as to why she was being stopped, "I've saved people dozens of times before."

"This isn't about you finding Lauren, it's about you and Tamsin," the male was speaking through his usual distinct tone of seriousness, "promise me that you won't hurt her."

"Hurt her?" The brunette was appalled and tugged her arm back to herself.

"You know what I mean."

"I love her Dyson, I wish I could convince you...but more than that, I wish I could convince Tamsin because I don't think she actually believes me either. It kinda sucks to be me." Bo's mood was less pleasant than before as she pulled away from the male and stormed off down the hallway. She could understand why there was a lot of doubt, but it was also painful to know that she would be proving herself over and over. Once she had descended the staircase and progressed to the front of the building, she tried to relax as she reunited with the waiting valkyrie.

Nothing was said between the pair as they exited from the station.

It was really quite awkward.

And it was exactly the type of atmosphere that the succubus didn't want to linger around. As soon as the blonde was set in walking to the right, she spoke up, "I'm sorry," her apology was gentle as she took the detective by the wrist to pull her back around, "I'm really, really sorry."

Tamsin was sulking now that they were stopping to have some sentimental chat which she would rather avoid, "it's fine, I know that you are just trying to do the right thing, it's annoying as hell, but I understand."

"Yes, that is _all_ this is about, Tamsin," Bo inched forward, "I wish that we could just escape somewhere for a week and leave this mess behind, just you and me."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to pack Lauren in a suitcase with you?"

"Hey," the succubus found the blonde's remark to be cold and so she gave her wrist a small squeeze, "you don't have to do that."

"Do what?" The valkyrie's brows knitted into a frown.

"Act like you are still competing with Lauren, I am yours, you've won."

"Whatever, lets just get this over with."

Bo didn't let the blonde tug away quite so easily, she held firmer to her forearm and yanked her closer, "if I have to tell you that I love you a thousands times every day in order to get it into that thick skull of yours then you better brace yourself, I don't care what I have to do, I am going to convince you and one day you are going to realize that you mean more than the world to me."

The fact that Tamsin was unable to counter with a witty comeback showed that she was always out of her league whenever the succubus tossed sincere words at her so beautifully. Kindness was a rarity for her to experience, so full fledged love? She felt like an android who wasn't programmed on how to respond.

Assuming that the blonde would be unable to reply, the succubus shook her head, "look I promise that I am going to make this up to you, but right now I think it's best if we split up, we'll be able to find Lauren quicker."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Bo's eyelids batted from the surprise of being so quickly denied.

"If there is a dangerous wacko somewhere on the loose then we should stay together, it's common sense."

"...and it's broad daylight, I can take care of myself Tamsin, I'll tell you what, if we can't find Lauren within an hour then we will meet back here, does that sound fair?"

"Make it thirty minutes," the blonde would only make one bargain and even at that she was pushing herself to do so. As protective as she was, she knew that she needed to have faith in the brunette.

"_Tamsin..._"

"Or twenty, the choice is yours."

"Half an hour it is then," the succubus found the valkyrie's defense sweet, in a way, and she leaned forward in order to place a small kiss to her cheek, "I'll take the south side of the town."

Seeing as how that left the detective to the north, she found it best not to argue. As Bo pulled away, Tamsin found herself mimicking the earlier actions she had been subject to, she grasped the female's wrist and drew her back. Much to the surprise of the succubus, she crashed their lips together in a more impassioned action, "don't you dare get yourself killed over this," she warned into the heat of the brunette's mouth.

Bo's desire to want to locate the doctor was fading to nothing as she continually captured her lips against the valkyrie's, every time she thought about taking a step back, it didn't feel like the blonde wished to let her go. Not that she minded. "Once we sort this out, I think you and I should do some serious sparring later."

"Count on it." When the valkyrie loosened her hold, her gaze was intense as she watched the succubus back away. For the first six steps, their eyes were locked on each other, but the time soon came for Bo to turn around so that she could focus on walking away without bumping into any civilians that may have been passing. Tamsin couldn't possibly tear her sights from the brunette's form. She dared to say that her protectiveness was even going to put Dyson's to shame one day. Unlike the shifter, she hadn't gone through a list of relationships, the woman that she was currently pursuing was the only thing in this world that she really wanted. And yet, she couldn't fully let Bo in either. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but it was more of a case that she shouldn't. The blonde may have been ignoring it lately, but she was expiring.

Again, it was a case of Sod's law, wasn't it?

Finally she had the succubus to herself and yet her own life cycle was coming to another close. It could take weeks, or months, but either way, her clock was always ticking.

By the time she had tried pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, Bo had disappeared around the next block somewhere, which meant that she was free to search for the doctor on her own.

Tamsin sighed as she spun her attention to the opposite direction, her pace of movement was rapid and stern. Her shoulders were squared strongly and a small frown sat upon her features. She wished that this day would come to a close already, and given that it was still the morning hours, it was going to seem like an eternity until she and the succubus had a moment of peace again.

* * *

Not ten minutes into the valkyrie's search and she was trekking across the small wooden bridge at the north sector of the town which overlooked one of the local parks. Her eyes were constantly narrow as she scoped left and right for the image of the doctor. The bars she had passed by were empty at this hour, so she had no luck on that front._ 'I must be in love with Bo if I'm willing to find Lauren of all people,'_ she kept telling herself as she crossed over to the next pathway. There were no buildings of any real convenience to her, a library, the occasional store for clothing and apparel, but nothing that she could imagine the human would rush into. Truth be told, Tamsin had her theories that she was on the right track to finding Lauren first. Earlier, in the station, when she had overlooked the case file of the most recent victim, she noticed that the body was found near this area and something told her that if the doctor wasn't at home then there'd be every chance that she would try to drown her sorrows by overworking.

Was the blonde's assumption going to be right?

Well, after two or three more minutes of vigorous walking, she turned the next corner and spied that down the opposite end of the street, the doctor did happen to be passing by. Her posture was tired and overall depressed, and she barely paid attention to where she was going as her eyes were glued to the concrete beneath her feet.

This meeting was certainly going to be interesting. Tamsin couldn't recall an event where she and Lauren had been having a one-on-one conversation without anyone else around to prevent things from turning too crazy. The valkyrie increased her pace to the point where she had caught up to the slouching doctor and was walking alongside her, "well, well, fancy meeting a human like you in a place like this."

Startled by the sudden voice next to her, Lauren nearly jumped out of her skin. Her heartbeat exploded into a faster rate and she snapped her sights to the left. Disgust and disappointment rapidly made a move across her face when she saw the new form of company that she had, "haven't you caused enough damage? Leave me alone Tamsin." She complained angrily and attempted to speed up her steps in an act of escape from the latest bane of her life.

"No can do," Tamsin simply matched the quicker pace without any hassle, her voice was casual with the usual hint of smugness to it, "you clearly aren't a morning person, are you?"

"As of recently I can't say that I'm a 'valkyrie' person either," the doctor mumbled sorely, carrying extra irritation since she wasn't being left to herself, "I hope you know that you are never going to be able to make Bo happy."

"I can try," the detective replied confidently.

"You will fail. Bo is good, you are evil, the concept is simple. The two of you are not supposed to mix."

"Evil is a strong word to throw around, doctor."

"And so is love," Lauren made a point of scowling across to the blonde when the 'l' word was mentioned. Even now it was still fragile.

"You speak to me like you know better, but you don't," Tamsin's eyebrow arched as she met the doctor's glare, "I have been around for a long time, I've witnessed all sides of love, I know more about it than you can possibly imagine."

"Just because you have seen love, it doesn't mean that you understand it."

"Right...in the same way that if I saw someone get shot by a bullet I wouldn't know that it would hurt them. A person doesn't need to experience something to be able to comprehend it."

Somehow the two always clashed in their views of what was right and wrong. Morals, ethics, philosophy, logic. The one thing they could possibly agree on was their love for a certain succubus, but other than that, they were worlds apart.

Lauren turned around the next corner, and the valkyrie was keeping up with her without fault, "so you claim to love Bo? What now? You become a happy woman and make all of her dreams come true?"

"Love isn't a fairytale, so stop making it sound colorful, I don't expect that making her dreams come true will be an easy task, but I'll spend the rest of my days trying."

"It takes sacrifice Tamsin, I've defied the Ash for her, I helped her in her struggles against the Garuda, I've assisted her countless times. I have done everything for her." While walking, the doctor was switching her focus between talking and moving. Her mind was unsettled as it had been for the entire night beforehand.

"Well, how about I give you a medal?" The detective smirked bitterly, this was about to turn into yet another competition, she'd been provoked so easily, "I might not be the kindest person in Bo's life, but I went on a suicide mission to save her best friend, twice, I've freely given her my Chi anytime she needs it, I push myself past my limits to be strong enough to protect her. And above all, I withheld my feelings for her so that she could be happy with you. Every time she ran into your arms, I let her and it killed me. So don't preach to me about sacrifice."

"You've done a few nice things for her, it doesn't mean that you are good for her. I am better for her than you, it is a proven fact. The only reason you have an advantage is because you are a valkyrie. If things were different, she and I would still be happy together."

"She wasn't drawn to me because I'm a valkyrie, it is more than that."

"Oh really? Then please, tell me what it is about you that 'draws' Bo in. It can't be your charm, or your kind heart. You never smile. In fact you thrive on belittling others through your sarcasm. What could you possibly offer her? Please, name just _one_ thing."

"My heart, I'd carve it out of my own chest and serve it to her on a silver platter if that's what she wanted, could you say the same?" Tamsin was surprisingly keeping a cool head throughout the argument at, "don't ever try to make me doubt myself, it won't work. It is my specialty after all."

"And don't ever assume that I am going to give up on Bo, she might be crazy enough to end things but I'm not going to let go of her that easily."

"I didn't expect you to, although you are only going to hurt yourself trying, if it weren't for Bo's intervention you'd be experiencing what it feels like to be on the other end of medical equipment right now. I'll warn you now, if you kiss her again then I will tear you apart."

"What's wrong? Does it worry you that Bo might wake up from this little fantasy she has with you and return to me? Afraid of a little competition?" Lauren's voice was still as monotone as ever, which was a given.

Just as the doctor was recklessly continuing her march, Tamsin frowned slightly and grasped a hold of her jacket as she stepped onto the road. Immediately she yanked her back, sparing her from walking straight into the path of a speedy car. At least one of the two had been paying attention to the traffic around. "It's hardly going to be a competition if you're just a stain on the road," the valkyrie mumbled and gave a second tug to pull Lauren further away from crossing to the other side of the street, she didn't expect any gratitude, so she altered the topic of conversation, "I didn't come here to take a tour with you around town, Dyson needs you. Everyone is worried sick that you've been out all night, naturally Bo wanted to find you, so I offered assistance...and lucky you, I got here first, now can we please return to the station?"

"No."

"No? Are you for real?"

"I need some time to myself."

"Look, either you walk back with me or I drag you, it's your choice. I won't hear the end of it if I don't return to the station with you. Get your shit together doc, your girlfriend dumped you for someone better, so you just need to move on, it's not the end of the world." When the other female wasn't responding within a certain time period, Tamsin grasped tighter to her coat and began to stride backwards, beginning to pull the doctor with her.

The two of them were drawing a lot of attention from the humans around, mainly because while the valkyrie was walking, Lauren was grabbing at her wrist and trying to disconnect from the hold that she was in. Her teeth were clenching as she stumbled and staggered every time that she was yanked another step, "I really do hate you."

"Like I care," the blonde was frowning as she ignored the way that the doctor was glaring at the back of her head, she could feel the fire in the eyes behind her, "I'm not here for your sake, my partner's succession is dependent on your involvement. If Fae are being killed off, Dyson needs you to help him identify what the cause is, or who is causing it."

"Why don't you help him yourself?"

"Because none of this is my problem, I have Bo, I don't give a damn about anyone else. If these victims weren't strong enough to defend themselves then they probably deserved to die."

"That is a horrible thing to say, if you know Bo then you should also know that she is going to want to get involved in this case," Lauren explained as she felt her skin starting to bruise under the detective's powerful grip.

"Then save her the trouble, help Dyson find out what the cause of the murders are." While turning the next corner, Tamsin finally let go of the doctor's wrist and gave her a light nudge forward to insist that she continued walking without having to be dragged around like a ragdoll.

Lauren rubbed at the length of her recently apprehended arm and cast another resentful stare to the detective, "I done an autopsy yesterday, the cause of death is a viral heart disease."

The unexpected term caused the valkyrie to stop in her tracks completely. Yet again her hand was shooting forward so that she could clutch at Lauren's shoulder and pull her around until they were facing each other, "a heart disease? That doesn't make any sense, I thought Fae were designed to have stronger immune systems?"

"They are, typically, but this is a Fae-induced illness," the doctor stated bluntly as she kept her eyes locked onto the blonde's.

"Meaning...?"

"I thought you didn't care?"

"Trust me, I don't, I'm just curious as to why an epidemic is suddenly spreading."

"This disease isn't airborne, it has spread by direct physical contact," Lauren sighed, unsure of why she was even divulging what she knew to the same person she confessed to hating, "I've taken tissue samples of the victims and from what I have deducted they have all been in contact with the same crone."

"So, you're telling me that there is some ill _witch_ in this town who is contagious?"

"When you put it like that, then yes, basically. However there are elements that I am still working on."

"Like what?"

"A cure, for one. By the time we found all of the infected Fae they were already dead and, this witch is covering her tracks well. Most of her victims were found in the south side of the town. Dyson has found five bodies so far, but there is no sign of her."

"South?" Tamsin's eyes became wide in alarm at the very mention of the word.

Lauren didn't anticipate the other female would react so strongly, but she nodded and her lips drew a thin line, "yes, why?"

"Bo is there right now," the valkyrie said nothing more as she dispersed from the doctor and began to run down the street she had come from originally, "I should never have let her go off on her own," her words were half an exclamation to herself, and half a guilty statement to the female she was departing from.

Any previous objective she had of bringing Lauren back was no longer existent as she sped along. Her boots were slapping down hard on the pavement as she pushed through the small groups and couples of pedestrians in her path. Some of them were nudged and others were nearly knocked from their feet given the fast pace she was moving at. The valkyrie's couldn't pinpoint what was working more; her legs or her pulse. Every second to pass felt like a lifetime.

Maybe she was panicking over nothing.

Maybe she wasn't.

In either case, she received an answer in the next minute when she felt a sudden unease in her gut. A cold shiver jolted down the length of her spine and her thundering heart was filling with a forced dread. She had to stop running in order to clutch onto the wall nearest to her while she tried to figure out what the problem was. Tamsin's eyes shut tightly and she felt..._hurt?_ Although the pain wasn't physical. It was something inside of her. Something was stopping her from functioning properly. Her mind was so unfocused as she inhaled heavily.

All she could think of was the succubus; it was her one coherent thought.

Then it hit her.

_'The pendant, Bo is still wearing it...she's in trouble'_ How did she not realize it sooner? Tamsin practically shoved the wall from her and picked up the same speed in her movements as she set off into a sprint down the street. She had never experienced how the necklace took effect until now, but she was glad to know that it worked. It left her with an unexplainable intuition as to which direction she should be running in. Whenever she needed to make a turn, her instincts would sharpen and burn which alerted her that she must have been going the right way.  
She was already giving herself mental punishment for agreeing to split up; it was a stupid choice to make.

_'Idiot'_, the blonde was labeling herself with a recurring nickname as she hurdled over one of the wooden benches which was inconveniently in her way. Rarely, civilians would try to call over to her to ask if she was alright, but she was moving too fast that she didn't have the time to respond, _'I can't waste time running around this town when Bo is in danger'._

Her options seemed pretty slim until she heard the rumbling of a motorbike cruising along the same road. And knowing the valkyrie, this was a Godsend. As soon as she could, she broke away from running along the path and started racing to said vehicle. A risky move perhaps, but she had her ways.

"Hey, are you crazy, get out of the way!" The biker shouted from his leather seat as he tried to slow down the speed that he was currently driving at. Having a woman coming at him straight on was not what he had foreseen while choosing this route around town.

Several other car horns were blowing off as a sign of warning, as if the blonde didn't know that she happened to be running against the traffic.

She seriously considered using her powers to enforce the male into giving up the transportation, but then, she couldn't chance displaying her abilities in public, otherwise she would cause too much trouble in the Fae world. Instead, she played 'human' and pulled out her wallet, flashing her badge of law forward while she closed the distance to the motorbike, which was now pulling to a stop. "Official police business, sir I need to commandeer your vehicle, now."

"What the...no way, I'm not giving up my bike to some psycho chick," the male protested, beginning to scowl as he gave the identification the once over, "move out of the way lady."

_'Asshole'_, Tamsin couldn't afford to waste a millisecond bargaining, so she tried to find a loop hole for her own benefit. And that didn't take her long at all. "Well, not only have you defied the law, but I can see that you're not wearing a helmet...which is another contravention in itself. I must take action."

As for the actual 'action' taking, the detective used a little police brutality as she swung her closed fist into the biker's jaw. She applied just enough force into the hit so that his dazed form would collapse down from the seat and onto the rough road. Small gasps and whispers could be heard from the humans around as the valkyrie took over and mounted the vehicle, "don't worry people, I'm a professional," she called out with little attentiveness as she gripped each handlebar and kickstarted the motor into action again, "I'll try to leave it in one piece," she informed the disorientated driver before she initiated movement and began to continue progressing toward the opposite end of the town.

Fortunately, not only did she know which way to go, but she was aware of the quickest shortcuts available to use. The inner feeling of dread hadn't eased up, so she could only assume that the succubus was going to be caught up in a fight - if something worse hadn't already befell her, that was.

The more she worried, the higher the speed of the motorcycle increased. Simultaneously, she had to watch her surroundings as well as maintaining a sensible balance so that she didn't crash. There would be no use in her getting herself killed on the journey to rescue the brunette. But keeping that rational line of thought wasn't so easy when she continued to torture herself over the internal images of something bad happening to the woman she loved.

Shortly, she rode into the emptier suburbs of the town which caused her to glance from the left to right. She knew that the Dark Fae usually lurked in this area, as well as a few pesky Under Fae. As she pulled the brakes on the vehicle, she jumped from the seat and jogged along the center of the desolate road. She could sense that the succubus was close by, thus, she was turning and glaring in every direction around. High and low.

No visible signs were showing themselves, but she did hear the sound of glass breaking from inside of the third house on her right. The red door was ajar, so it stuck out to her like a sore thumb. Tamsin headed straight to it while she reached into the waistband of her jeans in order to pull out her trusty handgun. There was no way she would take any chances if the brunette was being harmed. A swift bullet would take less time. Once she came to the entrance of the building, she stepped over the threshold, withholding no fear for her own safety. "Bo!?"

Her call went unanswered which led her to believe that she may have been wandering into the wrong house. The detective's feet carried her through the hallway until she came to the living area. And then she got her result.

The moment she entered the room, her sights locked onto a most unwanted scene; the succubus was being restrained in the typical 'hostage' position by another woman...who quite evidently fitted the description of the word 'crone'. She looked like a worn down, ragged old lady who had walked straight out of some twisted Hansel and Gretel story. Some witches just never aged well, did they?

"Tamsin-" Bo attempted to respond, but she was cut short when the hand around her neck wrapped a little tighter, as though to keep her quiet.

"My, my, my what do we have here? A visitor?" The elderly woman gave a pleasant hiss from over the succubus' shoulder.

The valkyrie's finger was resting firmly on the trigger and she frowned in annoyance, "I'd have knocked first, but the door was already open," she mused in a dry sarcasm as she raised her weapon an inch higher, "you must be the old hag who has been killing off Fae, right?"

"How wonderful, I see my reputation proceeds me," the witch croaked out a raspy chuckle which made the brunette in her clutches feel as though her skin was crawling.

"So what's the deal? Why use a virus to infect people? I thought spells and magic were what your kind are good for," Tamsin pressed with her questions, although it didn't diminish her concern that the succubus was in a potentially dangerous position.

"Ah, thirsting for answers so soon, are we? Very well, I had originally planned to curse this disease on an old warlock who had wronged me, however, it backfired and I am now left to bear the consequences of my own malediction."

"A witch who became a victim to her _own_ hex? And just when I thought nothing more in this life could surprise me," the valkyrie would have been grinning were it not for the same simple fact that she was using caution for Bo's sake, "so why infect others with your condition? Do you enjoy killing?"

"My reasons are for survival, I seek a cure, a way to prevent my impending demise, and I think I have just found one in your friend," the older woman's chapped lips curled into a hideous smirk as she brought her wrinkly hand to settle over Bo's chest; a crimson glow began to emanate from her palm.

The succubus' eyes were widening as she looked down at the touch of magic that was being pushed against her. Fear glimmered in her irises as she attempted to arch away from the contact, but being held as a captive limited her movements greatly.

Tamsin brought her impatient gun higher, "get your filthy hands off of her, right now! Or I swear to God, I will _not_ miss this shot!"

Why did she not simply shoot the crone? Well, there was a risk of hitting Bo, despite the confident words she had just declared.

Her warning went unheeded as the older woman proceeded; the red aura around her hand spread slightly and it appeared as though her fingers were plucking something from within the brunette - drawing her energy from her, possibly. Bo started to groan and squirm in discomfort as though she was being hurt from the inside.

_'This disease isn't airborne, it has spread by direct physical contact,'_ the doctor's words were repeating over and over in the valkyrie's shaken mind, like a broken record with tunes of despair and fear.

Direct physical contact.

Given the circumstance, three words had never been so threatening, as the succubus just happened to be in _direct - physical - contact._

The realization blew up in the blonde's mind like an unstable tornado, "I said get your hands off of her right NOW!"

_Bang._

A single bullet had lunged from the barrel of the gun - leading forward like a loyal pellet of protection. It hit the witch, skimming past her jaw and opening the flesh on the way past into a gash that would never fade without a touch of magic. The shot was intended to kill, but Tamsin's aiming must have been slightly slanted in her whirlwind of worry to get Bo free from whatever it was the crone had been inflicting upon her.  
The brunette was let go as the raggedly dressed woman shrieked in agony. She toppled down to her knees and only prevented herself from totally collapsing as she braced herself on her two hands.

Watching as the witch clasped to the injured half of her face, the valkyrie didn't plan on letting her live, "you're wrong, the virus isn't your impending demise, I am," she left no time in between and squeezed the trigger again. The same sharp sound brought a piercing life to the silent room.

Although this time, the crone had been prepared. Had the blonde been paying attention, she'd have noticed that the woman's lips were uttering an inaudible incantation. As the bullet came to her, her form blurred into a haze of smoke and she had used her cunning sorcery to vanish from sight - leaving only a small hole in the wall behind from where the piece of lead had impacted. This time, it would have been aligned perfectly to hit into her skull, were she not deceptive enough to escape.

_'Damn witches and their cheap tricks,'_ Tamsin berated her failure to kill the witch, but it lasted an overall second as her peripheral vision picked up on the image of Bo's form on the floor in front of her. Any ego-bashing over not staying true to her threat was cast aside as she placed her gun away and rushed to the other female's side. There was a small bash as the valkyrie dropped to her knees and gripped the brunette by the shoulders, "Bo, are you alright?"

The woman was reacting very sluggishly as if she had just been awoken from a deep sleep, her eyes were heavily lidded and she brought her right hand up to clasp over her chest.

"Bo, God dammit, answer me," the blonde didn't intend to sound urgent, but in reality, she genuinely was. A paranoia lurked in the back of her mind that the succubus' healthy heart may be jeopardized. What if the virus had been passed onto her?

Were someone to search the definition of stressed the name 'Tamsin' would appear in bold text in every dictionary right about now.

"I..." Bo's voice was frail, initially, but as her gaze rose to meet the valkyrie's, her eyes bulged in terror.

The detective couldn't help but take notice to the perturbation and extreme fear in the woman's irises. She had never seen someone look so scared before. It took a lot to make the valkyrie's own unease rise, yet here she was, becoming more disturbed than ever. The lack of an answer was driving her insane. "What? What is it? Speak to me, Bo, what's wrong?"

"...it's my...she took..." Again, the brunette was failing as she succumbed to only incoherent sentences, "I can't...I..."

"Can't what? Bo, what did that batty old witch do to you?" Tamsin's fingertips kneaded stronger into the female's shoulders so that she could give her a light shake, "what is wrong?"

"Tamsin...I'm..."

"Yes?" The detective's eyes were searching the succubus' hopelessly for an answer that would make sense.

"Tamsin, I am human."

* * *

Another cliffhanger? Yessssss, I know you probably all want to punch me threw twelve walls for that, but I couldn't resist! In case if any of you were worried that this fic may have been coming to an end now that Tamsin and Bo are together then THINK AGAIN! That is right, I never want to end this - hence then next piece of drama which is being unfolded. xD

I'd have updated probably a day sooner, but I wanted to add a bit of everything in for y'all. Bo/Tamsin/Lauren conflicts, some Kenzi/Dyson awesomeness...Kenzi/Tamsin... and who could forget Tamsin and Lauren's encounter!?

And you're probably asking yourself, why did this witch steal Bo's power? Well, think about it, if she uses the gift of the succubus then she can feed off a person's life force to keep herself alive, which means that she'll be preventing this so called heart hex from killing her.

Let me just say, Tamsin is not going to be coping well with this in the next chapter, so brace yourself guys! We'll survive this roller coaster together! c':

(Review time, yeehaa! :'D )

_MonsterGalore_ - Yes! *High five* Bo is finally casting Lauren out of the picture, in a kind way, but still, Valkubus is sailing...thank the Heavens above! And lets just say that Tamsin is going to be very protective over her beloved succubus!  
Kenzi is totally on board with the Tamsin/Bo ship too, so double yes for that! xD

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - Honey, whenever I read your reviews, I always grin like a Cheshire cat. ;D  
And you know what Lauren is like, she just has to storm in a ruin the moment, but Bo has finally tried to make it clear to her that she has chosen Tamsin. Of course, she tried to be as nice and merciful as she could about it, but if she keeps getting pushed...it won't go well. c':

_Shannon1419_ - Thank you, thank you, you wonderful, lovely, extraordinary person! It humbles me that you're liking the dynamics of the story, so I'll keep trying to wow you as much as I can in the future chapters! ;]

_rita8miron_ - Oh, yay! I'm so ecstatic that you liked the arguing because I love writing the conflicts between the characters as much as all the sentimental stuff! It's fun to explore all angles. It is my pleasure to write for you, so thank YOU for reading! c':

_Jaddy86_ - I admire your devotion to read two chapters especially since you were at work in four hours. Epic! That earns you a super THANK YOU. And a *high five*  
If this fic gives you happy Valkubus dreams then I take that as a proud accomplishment, everyone deserves good dreams after all. ;D

_Dark Lord Daishi_ - I feel like the skies are going to open up and the world will be brighter now that Bo is supporting her relationship with Tamsin. She had totally torn down the defenses! ;D  
Kenzi and Lauren scenes are soooo much fun to write, mainly because Kenzi can act a little childish around her. [x

_Javlalebb_ - Well, I do try my best, so if I've succeeded then I can die happily (not that I plan to mind you, this story must go on!)  
Lauren is just lucky that Bo and Tamsin were sharp enough to confront her in the living room, because if she just happened to wander into the bedroom...I think she'd have dropped dead from shock. ;D  
Believe me, plenty new adventures are on the horizon! I'll never stop this story! (:

_Purple-Ketchup_ - I see, well, at least having your own version is more creative, in that sense. ;D  
I'm glad that you like, my dear! And hopefully my future chapters will keep you just as entertained.  
p.s  
*Zooms straight across to read this fabulous fic titled The Surgeon and Survivor* AWESOMEEEEE. ;)

_FlipChick23_ - Poor Kenzi, she tried to warn them both, but I think they were too pre-occupied to hear the phone ringing. But Tamsin is definitely standing her ground now, she finally sees Bo as hers. x'D

_Guest (s)_ - Well, I can see what you mean, but technically, Lauren knew what was going on and our dear Kenzi merely confirmed. I think a part of her always wanted to declare that Bo and Tamsin were in love, purely because she's seen how many hardships Tammy has endured throughout this all. xD  
Although, thank you so much! I love that you enjoy the story, and I always like to try and keep everyone guessing as to what is going to happen next! c':  
And thank you for considering this the best Valkubus fanfiction! Whenever I read that, I feel like I've won an emmy or something like that! ;D

_TheJojo99_ - Awh, I'm so glad that you're overjoyous with Bo/Tamsin's love declaration, it feels like it has taken 3746282 years for them to admit it to each other. THANK YOU x INFINITY! I was kind of glad that Kenzi told Lauren, because in a way, it eased her into it...rather than having Bo and Tamsin needing to hide their feelings for a while longer. xD  
Oh, you are just the sweetest! Merci, merci, merci! These 18 chapters have been torture to write (but in the best sense possible) I wanted them to say 'I love you' from day one, but then...that would've been too unrealistic. But finally, we're here! c':

_bruubertolo_ - Oh really...? Well, it just so happens that I will do anything to win myself, so the games are on. ;]  
Why yes, my personal and favorite toy...and mistress sounds like a very fitting title. And I shall call you my slave of love! xD  
Well, a girl has a lot of ways to provide expert sating... c';  
Indeed, you're quite right about that, Bo achieved the impossible and won Tamsin, it's about time too.  
She definitely has a thing for most resistant women.  
I say again, you're spot on with that, Lauren isn't the type to just give up, I reckon she'll be throwing some spanners in the mix until she realizes how hopeless her chances are. ]x  
Ohhh, why thank you, but you are way too sweet yourself! And I'm not actually in a relationship, believe it or not, I kinda feel like Tamsin...just waiting centuries and several lifetimes for my Bo. So please, feel free to steal me away...I don't mind! In fact, I'll come willingly! x'D

_xxEm ' n ' JJ4evaxx_ - Why hello there, first of all, let me thank you for taking the time to read this fiction. And secondly, I'm honored that it is one of your favorites, it makes me want to jump up happily and touch the sky. So again, THANK YOU FOR BEING SO AWESOME! And I'll update as soon as I can for you! XD

_Snagam80_ - Exactamundo, Lauren is always going to want proof beyond doubt, being a woman of science and logic, she needs these solid facts. Although this time, I feel as though she is going to put herself in denial over it. xD  
I think Tamsin is going to lose it with the good doctor one of these days...

_zigfiction_ - Aw, that is wonderful to hear! I think it's so cool that you are able to save the chapters and read whenever you desire, it's perfect actually! I hope you continue to enjoy what you are reading because I know that I'll certainly enjoy writing more for you! Thank you so much! c':  
And I love the fact that you are bringing up the point about Tamsin's expiry, because you're right, it will be dawning on her soon, and with Bo not knowing too much about it, it will bring a sadder effect seeing as how they are finally embarking on a relationship. Love and tragedy is such a great combination sometimes! xD

_Yello13_ - Let me just start by saying that when I read your review, it was so touching. I am extremely sorry to hear about the flow of bad luck you have been enduring. But I am especially saddened to hear that you have suffered the loss of your brother, I can't possibly imagine how heart-wrenching that must be for you. If I were able then I would give you a long hug right now. I wish I had the ability to ease your pain. It does give me comfort to know that this story is able to brighten your day. If it is a happy refuge for you to turn to then I promise you that I am going to keep trying to give you as many chapters to look forward to as I can. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you have been so supportive and kind to my writing, I appreciate it beyond words!  
And if ever you feel that you need to talk to someone, you are always welcome to write to me here and I will hear out anything you need to get off your chest. X X X

_Puppets' Master_ - Well, I do have my ways of wanting to keep everyone on edge, darling. ;D  
Why thank you so much! *Does Kenzi's happy dance* The two chapters were very fun to write, so the fact that you think they are incredible makes me wanna hug you tightly!  
Tamsin came close to leaving, but Bo managed to pull off the incredible task by convincing her to stay, and I'm glad that you've enjoyed reading their moments of struggle and affection, because there'll be plenty more on the way. And let me say that reading your perfect reviews always makes my day so much more colorful! xD  
I wouldn't have a problem if you stole me away so that I could tell you bedtime stories, mind you, most of them would probably involve Bo and Tamsin...and adult content...but still, I'd tell it in a sweet way and innocent way! c':  
Ah, you're ever the sweet one aren't you?  
But thank you, because I adore you in every way too!  
and p.s, I can definitely sense I little bit of Tamsin in you somewhere. ;D

_urbanlb_ - Well it is a pleasure to be able to read your review, sweetheart. The fact that you have been following from the start makes me so happy! So let me just say thank you, it makes all of this writing worthwhile to know that you gain enjoyment from it. And I'm so grateful that you consider this your favorite story! That is utterly awesome and I'm so overjoyed right now! :'D  
I'll always try to update for you as soon as I can, that's a promise! x]


	21. I'll Take The Fall For You

"When the gusts came around to blow me down,

I held on as tightly as you held onto me.

_I held on as tightly as you held onto me._

I built a home, for you, for me.

Until it disappeared from me, from you."

- To Build A Home, _The Cinematic Orchestra_

* * *

"Any change?" Kenzi's voice was the first to break the dreadful silence which had been looming around worse than a bad rumor. Her steps brought her to the closed door that the valkyrie happened to be standing next to, like a stationery guard with nothing better to do. The news had hit rapidly about the recent problem which had occurred. Her best friend was making a surreal claim to being 'human' and that her powers were stolen from her by the same old witch who had been behind the Fae body count recently. As if life wasn't complicated enough with the bout of relationship drama, now they had to deal with this? The thief wouldn't be the first one to believe that negative luck stalked the group as closely as shadows did to a person. Her eyes of worry rested upon the disheartened looking blonde. Ever since she had brought Bo home, nothing felt easy.

Tamsin had been engulfed in her own thoughts for some time now that it took a while for her to process the question that was posed to her. Acting as though she was snapping out from hypnosis, she looked down to the gothic female instead, "no, she has locked herself in her room for the past hour now," she explained and the heaviness to her tone was probably because she had been loyal enough to wait outside in the hallway for the length of time stated. Devotion was a simple challenge when it came to the brunette._ 'Bo doesn't seem to be handling this well at all,'_ she began to remind herself, _'she's hardly spoken two words to me since we got back.'_

Of everything, the detective kept repeating the same scene over in her head. She went through every possible outcome, and tried to work out what she could have done differently that would have prevented this. Agreeing to split up with the succubus in the first place was a sharp and harmful was the worst choice she believed that she had ever made, to date. And even so, she shouldn't have hesitated to shoot that blasted crone. Of course, she feared that the bullet may have been aimed wrongly but she should've had more confidence in herself. This was why she ran from love so much, not even a single day had passed by and already there was too much damage to deal with.

Whilst the blonde was becoming warped up in her own thoughts of failure and regret, she was closing away from reality again, which meant that she also missed out on anything being said to her by the other girl. It wasn't intentional ignoring, but she couldn't seem to shake it away just yet either.

"Hey, wonder woman," Kenzi exclaimed as she gave the distant valkyrie an assertive prod in the shoulder, "did you hear what I just said?"

"No, I didn't," Tamsin responded with a less refined honestly as she fought to keep her attention on the conversation at hand rather than the one inside of her own head.

"Luckily for you I don't mind hearing myself twice," the girl was quick to forgive the female's wandering mind, "I was just saying that this isn't your fault, okay?"

Now that the valkyrie heard what she had previously missed, she ended up scoffing and glanced off to look at the opposite end of the hallway, "I should have done something sooner, I had the chance to shoot the bitch, but I hesitated, she had Bo in her arms and I thought - for one stupid second - that I might actually hit the wrong person."

"And that is bad...why?" The thief took a step in and curled her hands around the detective's wrists, gently, "hesitating isn't wrong, blondie, it just proves that you must care for my bestie so much that you are even willing to second guess yourself. There are worse things in life."

"You don't get it, I never choke, I'm as good as gold, I can shoot a target sixty meters away without batting an eye, I can crush a person's consciousness with my powers...but this...love, it is already making me weak," Tamsin's teeth were beginning to clench, "it's pathetic."

"It's not," the other girl tried to protest further as she placed either of her hands against the valkyrie's biceps, "it's just different, you aren't used to it, but you are a better person because of it."

"I don't want to be a 'better' person, Kenzi, I like doing things my way and I don't give a damn about what anyone else says or thinks."

"And I wouldn't ask you to change, but you don't have to handle everything yourself anymore, Tamsin, you have people in your life who care about you, so I don't want you to blame yourself."

The blonde was reluctant to want to yield to anything being said, so she chose to change the subject as skillfully as she could, "I should probably check on Bo, whether she wants me to or not. Wanna join me?"

A slight laugh escaped from the thief's lips, "I think you should go solo on this one blondie, I don't want to crowd her, especially if she's not happy-go-lucky right now."

"You are her best friend, Kenzi, maybe it would be best if you went in to talk to her first," the detective stated after taking the situation into further consideration.

"Nope, you are hopeless when it comes to love, so it's about time you take some responsibility and take the reigns," Kenzi gave the blonde a pat on the shoulder as a sign of wishing her good luck, "I'll call Dyson and see if he has anymore news about where this witch-bitch, could've gone." Once she had made her choice, she blew out a small breath and pulled, beginning to backtrack down the hallway so that she could leave the two other females with some time to resolve the chaos that had been brought about, unwillingly.

Tamsin couldn't disagree that she wasn't best suited when it came to relationships, but perhaps Kenzi was right, she could use with a little practice on how to deal with things. She had given the space of privacy and now she was through with waiting around. Grasping the door handle to the room behind her, she twisted and then pushed it open before stepping over the threshold. Once inside, she didn't delay in bringing her sights across to the succubus who appeared to be sat on her bed, cradling her knees into her chest and looking overall...crushed. The light smudging of her make up was a definite hint that had been crying to herself. Losing her abilities must have felt like losing a limb, or a piece of her soul. It wasn't something to be envied.

The moment the brunette was aware of another presence in the room, she averted her gaze away and looked across to the cracked wall instead, "what do you want, Tamsin?" she asked, forced to sniffle directly behind her words.

"Are you always such a bundle of joy like this?" The valkyrie was unaffected by the less than polite reception that she had received, it didn't bother her at all really, if anything, it encouraged her to walk closer to the bed, "you've been trapped in here for a while, I was beginning to think that you might've dropped dead...or something like that."

A small scoff escaped from Bo as she circled her arms tighter around her knees, "thanks a lot," she tilted her head down slightly so that she could wipe underneath her left eye by using the sleeve of her top that covered her shoulder.

"You're a sore sight, Dennis," the detective soon perched herself on the side of the mattress so that she could observe the distressed and avoidant woman, "talk to me, will you? Seeing you all quiet like this is giving me the creeps, I actually miss your infuriating inability to talk someone's ear off."

"What do you want me to say, Tamsin? That I feel like shit? Because I do, I've...I've had everything stripped away from me, do you even understand that? I...I'm a human now, I never knew it was _this_ hard," the succubus closed her eyes tightly and drew in a deep breath.

"Humans are genetically weaker than Fae, I can imagine that, it explains why we're always saving Lauren or Kenzi's ass," the valkyrie didn't go into great detail over the differences, but she wouldn't pretend that average mortals were more advantageous than her.

"You're really not helping," Bo frowned and forced her eyes to re-open, although she still wasn't able to focus on the blonde in front of her, not yet, "you can leave if you want, I'd understand."

Now the detective was mimicking the same expression, but hers was from confusion rather than sadness, "what do you mean?"

"I'm human Tamsin, I...I'm not a succubus anymore and I know how much you despise weak people. I'm not Fae, so I don't blame you if you want to run for the hills."

The valkyrie's frown deepened into a scowl and she lunged her arm forward, clutching a tight hold of Bo's top before she gave her a more forceful yank than was needed, "now you hold on just one second, is that what you think this is about?" She sounded very irritated when she spoke, even to the point where she was probably too threatening, "did I ever say that I loved you because you were a Chi-stealing whore? No. Did I say that I loved you because you were an unaligned Fae? No. You're human, so what? Stop being melodramatic, I'm _never_ going to leave you."

Astonishment was an understatement, Bo hated herself for the way that she had feared this relationship would have came to an end so quickly. When would she learn that she needed to put more faith in the detective's love for her? Even though the rough tug had made her timid and a little frightened, she pushed past it and clambered onto Tamsin's lap like it was her only resort for safety.

Luckily, the blonde was more than willing to welcome the way that the shuddering woman had mounted her, she didn't blame the doubts and fears, it was logical when considering how uncertain life seemed to be right now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that..." Bo hid her face against the valkyrie's neck as she clung to her needily, "I just...I don't know what to do, I feel trapped...I've never been so helpless before," she breathed heavily into the other woman's warm flesh, "what do I do?"

_'I have a helpless Bo...straddling my lap...? No - NO! Bad, bad, don't think like that,'_ Tamsin tried to keep her mind away from entering the gutter of inappropriate ideas, _'but why does she have to sound so...irresistible while she's saying it?'_

"What are we going to do, Tamsin?" The brunette was repeating herself as she cuddled in as tightly as was physically possible to the blonde.

"Oh, I can think of a few things," the valkyrie mumbled, failing to resist letting one innuendo slip, but afterwards, she was determined to take this event seriously. Bo needed answers, she would have to give her them. That was just another challenge of love, wasn't it? Always having to find a solution. The detective looped her arms snugly around the female's waist, "I mean, we just need to track down this witch and get your powers back, it's quite simple really, " she seemed confident enough, "and until then, I'll just have to take extra care of you."

The succubus was barely able to nod, although she was indebted to the blonde's dedication of wanting to look after her, regardless of what her current species was, "I'd like that very much."

"We'll get through this Bo, I promise you that I will get you back to normal, think of this as a small break from being Fae," the valkyrie tried to make a lighter note of the situation, although she had her reasons for her own personal worries over it also. Now that the brunette was a human...it took away any boundaries from her being with the doctor.

"What if I never get my powers back? Will...will I still be good enough for you? Can you love me as a human?" The former succubus pulled back so that her glistening eyes could look into Tamsin's. She felt as though she had suffered an irreversible loss and more than anything, she needed the reassurance that she wouldn't lose more.

"Bo, even if you shot me at point blanc range, you would _still_ be good enough," the blonde gave an eccentric answer to make her case, "of course I will love you as a human, my feelings haven't changed at all," she raised her fingers to brush back a strand of the brunette's hair, "but you will get your powers back, until then, you just need to practice living without them."

The other female's brow kinked curiously while she held steady to the blonde, "and how am I supposed to practice having no powers?"

"It's not as hard as it sounds, I can assure you," the valkyrie used her knuckles to stroke down Bo's cheek, "now let me show you," she concluded. With a great reluctance, she lowered her other hand to the woman's thigh and gave a gentle pat to signify that she was to alter position.

And with an even greater reluctance, the brunette complied and moved her feet down to the ground before she stood up. On the offset, she was just a tad wobbly, but she overcame that in no time at all really. Her interests lay with whatever idea was turning cogs in the valkyrie's head. She took a step back to grant the other woman space to get up.

Tamsin may not have said it, but she was monitoring every little reaction that Bo was giving; her breathing pattern, her stability, her complexion. Call it obsession or deem it as over-protectiveness, but in any case, the valkyrie planned on being nothing short of a guardian angel now that the love of her life was more vulnerable than a cat without claws. "Alright, well, to begin with, lets try something basic," she unzipped her jacket and reached her hand to the inner pocket so that she could pull out her switchblade, "I want you to throw this...and aim right about here..." using her index finger, she pointed to a certain area on the wall next to her where the paint had been chipped away. So, it made it a more obvious target.

As the dagger was passed over to Bo, she took in a deep breath, taking a note of everything that the detective had said to her, "alright, hit the wall, got it...piece of cake."

_Eight attempts later..._

"Wow, you really suck," Tamsin mumbled, perching upon the wooden counter top as she was forced to observe the way that the brunette kept failing to hit the fairly close target.

"Oh, shut up, I've almost got it, I swear," Bo was trying to focus as hard as she could, but nothing was coming fluently to her. Her fingers gripped tighter around the hilt of the knife and she hurled it full forced in front of her.

This time, the side of the blade accidentally hit off the bed post which caused it to ricochet to the left.

The valkyrie's expression was indifferent as the weapon stuck into the light next to her, causing a small sparkage, but nothing that she felt the need to worry about. "Great, you've killed the evil lampshade, kudos to that."

Bo slapped both of her hands against her cheeks and shook her head miserably, "who am I kidding, I'm never going to get this, it's too difficult, I have nothing left. My God, Kenzi is probably more competent than me."

"I thought I told you to stop being so melodramatic," the detective huffed as she hopped down from the counter, she leaned over and took the knife's handle, yanking it out from the destroyed piece of room decor, "you're trying way too hard, you need to relax."

"Funny advice coming from a woman who doesn't even know the definition of the word," the brunette sulked and trailed her fingertips to her jaw as she looked at the blasted area on the wall which was still smugly untouched.

"Don't push your luck, cause _this woman_ can kick your ass right now without breaking a sweat," Tamsin returned the jab as she circled close to the brunette, "here," she passed the weapon back across to her, "don't force yourself to focus, let it come naturally." Once the female had taken a hold of said item, she stood behind her, placing her hands against her hipbones, "just relax," she ordered through a loose voice as she rested her chin upon Bo's shoulder, "try not to over think, try not to over analyze."

"Yes, ma'am," Bo replied stubbornly and attempted to carry less tension, although it was easier said than done, she was inhaling and exhaling with control again.

"And stop throwing like a damn girl," the valkyrie's brash comment came from nowhere as she moved her hands to grip at the brunette's wrists, "you are everyone's favorite little champion so start acting like it, stand with your shoulders squared and keep your arm bent at the elbow," while giving her lecture, she was coordinating Bo's body into the correct stance. She made sure that the woman wasn't standing front on, but rather, a little slanted instead. If anything, she was a master when it came to tactics of how to use weaponry to the highest extent.

Bo wasn't aware of just how seriously experienced Tamsin was until now, she should've been fully attentive to what was being said, but she was also enjoying the feeling of the valkyrie taking control and being considerate like this. Her body was slacker than it had been before and in large part that was due to having the blonde pressed up tightly against her back.

"Oh, and here is some advice, when you are throwing a knife, hold it by the tip of the blade," the detective brought up another point as she cupped her hand around Bo's, helping her to take the weapon by the described position, "that way, when you hurl it, it'll move faster due to the weight in the handle swinging forward first."

"You sound like a hunter."

"Not a hunter, just a survivor," Tamsin corrected, "now, lets try this again," she added through a slow breath as she guided the female's arm up until the blade was at eye level, "pull your arm back until the knife has passed by your ear and then throw forward, got it?"

"I - yeah...got it," Bo tried to keep up, she didn't deny that it was disappointing to feel the blonde's hand slip away from her own, but she tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Repeating the valkyrie's words, step by step, she bent her elbow and drew her wrist back until the point where she then threw her forearm forward, while simultaneously releasing the weapon in her hand. Much like Tamsin had described, it cut through the air much quicker until the blade crashed into the wall - hitting the target, exactly on the mark. "It worked!"

A genuine smirk of pride found it's way across the blonde's lips as she snaked her arms around Bo's waist and settled her chin back on her shoulder, "of course it did, my methods never fail, and like I said, it just takes practice, my little human."

"I'm sure we can practice a few more things," Bo craned her head back so that she could brush her lips by the valkyrie's cheek, "things that don't involve throwing blades around."

"I wonder what you could possibly be hinting at," the detective decided to act naive when she knew exactly what suggestion the comment had been aimed towards, "I think I'll be more than you can handle, Bo."

"I love a challenge," the woman replied with a perfect edge as she chafed her teeth lightly along the blonde's flesh while they spoke, "and I wouldn't want my humanity to prohibit us from being close."

Tamsin wasn't fully clear on whether it would be wise to initiate anything too affectionate, as much as she knew she would be around to defend Bo from anything, she also wanted the female to be able to handle herself, if ever it came to it. And right now, preparation seemed like that last thing on her mind. "I'll tell you what," she strengthened the hold of her arms around the brunette, "if you can land one hit into me, just one, then I'll take you for a test drive, deal?"

"You want me to spar with you?" Bo groaned, resenting the idea of having to be physical in a very different sense, "I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hit you."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you won't be able to hurt me," Tamsin chimed in cockily as she yanked the brunette's body up firmer into her own, "you've had an hour to whine and mope, we need to get you ready in case someone tries to attack you."

"I really don't want to fight you, aren't you supposed to be comforting me and telling me that everything will be alright? Kenzi would've bought me ice-cream," the former succubus was still in a self-pitying mood of complaint.

The valkyrie could see her point, but she didn't defer to it, "get your head in the game, Bo, you're not weak so quit acting like it," she untangled her arms and gave the woman a small push forward. The fact that she nearly stumbled was already a sign that her body wasn't used to running on such average functions. At least when she had been able to feed from Chi it gave her a real boost.

"Tamsin, this is insane, I am not going to-" By the time Bo had turned around, her eyes became wide and she was already forced to lunge to the side, narrowly dodging a reverse kick from the valkyrie, "-oh my God, you're serious about this!?"

_'She thinks I'd actually hit her? That's cute,'_ Tamsin would never lay a hand on the brunette, she was just throwing forward a couple of attacks that were being aimed too finely and precisely. It was a scare tactic, if anything. Had the woman not been able to evade quickly enough then she would have stopped, but it just so happened that her assumptions were right, the strength of the succubus was still coming and going in waves. "If you don't defend yourself then you are going to get hurt."

"This is ridiculous-"

"I just need you to be okay, I'm doing this for your benefit Bo, I know it might not seem like it, but we need to cover every angle."

"Fine, fine," the female's shoulders slouched and she flexed her fingers by her side before she made a sudden attempt to hurl a closed fist at the valkyrie. The action was speedy but to her surprise, the blonde had been able to tilt her body to the side, dodging effortlessly.

"Not bad-" Tamsin was now in the same position, unable to get her words out before she was met with another attack. The female took another swing, but she simply leaned back, making another evasion. It may have been unfair odds, because she prized herself on never letting an opponent get an advantage over her. Injuries harmed her ego more than her body.

During the third strike made, Bo found that the detective had caught her fist at the last possible second. The sharp reactions were worth an award.

"Try, again," the blonde ordered as she released her hold and pushed the female's wrist away, and the other woman was abiding.

Somehow trying to punch your partner wasn't the most romantic or caring gesture in the world, but Bo could see how determined the valkyrie was about this. Deep inside, she knew that Tamsin must have been really worried if she was taking action so soon. She took a deep breath and paused for a moment in order to cough.

It was during the small break that the detective found that something was very off. Bo appeared awfully exerted over this and barely anything had been done - and now she was coughing?

_'What is wrong with you, Bo...?'_ Tamsin's gaze broke and ventured lower until she caught just the faintest glimpse of the flesh beneath the woman's clavicles at the left side of her breastbone. Before she could analyze it further, she didn't even realize that the female's fist had came flying at her jaw...until the actual impact.

The valkyrie's focus had been so well and truly shattered that she was taken off guard, causing her to stagger back.

"Oh, shoot," Bo's eyes widened in shock, she had never expected that she would land a single hit into the blonde, "Tamsin, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that I'd..." bringing a hand to clasp over her mouth, she approached the usually icy woman, "are you alright?"

Unlike a natural response, the detective didn't appear furious that she had been struck, actually, she looked like she had more important things on her mind, "I'm fine," she answered quickly and then, in even quicker motions, she gathered herself and moved across to the other female, "roll up your top."

"Excuse me?" Bo was flabbergasted, taking half a step back due to reasons of more evident surprise.

"Your top, roll it up," Tamsin's voice became urgent as she got to the brunette, and rather that wait around, she caught the hem between her own fingers and started to peel it upwards.

"Tamsin, what are you doing?" The brunette held her hands out in surrender as she watched the odd actions that the detective was taking. Never had she been around someone who made riddles look easy by comparison.

As the material was shifted up, the blonde's eyes filled with an unsteady alarm when she saw the a small dark vein or two on the woman's chest. It could've been mistaken for an ink mark with a pen, but unfortunately Tamsin knew better. These were the same symptoms seen on the victims who had contracted that nasty heart virus.

So...Bo was infected?

"Shit," Tamsin was already shaking her head; all composure had dissolved as she inhaled sharply and took several steps back, "shit, shit, shit," in a moment her hands were clutching at her head as she glanced at the ceiling, hoping that the Gods would open the roof and tell her that this was all just a joke.

But it didn't happen.

"What's the matter?" Bo asked, oblivious to the forthcoming danger she was in, she looked down to her skin and screwed her nose up when she saw the slight difference.

"It's..." The detective couldn't even form a proper sentence on her first attempt, so she tried something else, "you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"The Fae that died were struck down by a disease to their heart, that damn witch passed it onto people who were in direct contact with her...you are carrying the same signs; pale, exhausted and you're coughing."

"Babe, maybe that is because I'm human-"

"That's what I thought too, but seeing your chest...damn it," the valkyrie was reacting worse that the brunette was - which was saying a lot given that she never expressed any outward panic before, "we need to get you to Lauren."

"Lauren? Oh, that's not a good idea, the three of us in a room together didn't turn out so good last time," the female shook her head, less worried about the matter than the blonde appeared to be.

"Screw it, we need to go," Tamsin didn't want to take any chances, every second wasted was now a second that she wouldn't get back, she approached the brunette and took a gentle hold of her wrist, "do you think you can make it out to my truck?" She asked before immediately shaking her head, "shit, I'll just carry you actually," and already she was attempting to bring one of her arms around the female's thighs, while her other snuck around her back.

Bo always felt like she was on some sort of roller coaster ride with the valkyrie because she had no idea what to expect, although she did take a hold of the woman's wrists to slow her down, "Tamsin, I feel fine, take it easy, you are starting to worry me."

The valkyrie couldn't even determine left from right, her head was fraught with rising fears as she looked the brunette all over, even though she claimed to be 'fine' she certainly appeared to be under the weather, as it were. "Bo, listen to me, listen...I know that I'm right about this, but unfortunately I _don't_ know how long it will take until this virus starts to kick in. It could be minutes, hours, we have to get to the doctor, please...please, I'm begging you." She had pulled her hands free and was now stroking along the female's arms. The worry over her face wasn't even hidden half as well as it usually was.

Possibly, hearing the proud detective 'begging' was what alerted Bo that she probably under a dangerous threat. She couldn't even bear to see the helplessness and desperation in Tamsin's eyes right now, she had never seen this side to her before. "Okay, okay, we'll go to the medical facility."

"Thank you," Tamsin still didn't let relief enter her tone just yet as she turned away so that she could retrieve the keys to her truck from the counter top.

The brunette was watching for those two seconds before she experienced an abrupt stabbing sensation between her lungs; as if someone was holding the tip of a metal nail to her heart to poke her with. She clutched her hand over the area of her chest in a false hope that she could grab the pain away.

By the time that the valkyrie spun back around, she saw the new discomfort that Bo found herself in and before another breath was taking, she zoomed across the room, "hey...hey," she had no clue what she was saying, so she compensated by cradling her arms around the woman instead, "take it slow, just...rest against me, just breathe." When she pulled the brunette closer to her, she stayed true to her words and supported her body weight. Like before, she was always on alert whenever something was wrong with Bo, seeing as how the pendant was around her neck. It felt bad.

"I'm...I'm okay...it's just a little ache." The smile that Bo had been attempting was small and painful as she closed her eyes and tried to relax into the blonde's arms. The jabbing in her chest was constant and fiery, but she took Tamsin's advice and inhaled slowly, exhaling even slower. Everything had transpired so rapidly; one minute the two were doing simple sparring and now the succubus-turned-human was being attacked by an unwanted affliction.

"You're going to be alright," the valkyrie brushed her fingers through the woman's hair as a way to soothe her, hopefully, "we'll get through this together, one step at a time," she continued as she pressed a small kiss to the side of Bo's head.

_'Damn it, this is bad, I better not lose her over this...not over some stupid virus,_' Tamsin was chanting to herself as she stood on the spot, willing to wait for however long was needed until the woman's pain subsided. She didn't want to risk moving her if she was on the wrong end of harm. _'Her temperature is through the roof, she feels like a furnace.'_

It must have taken Bo thirty more moments of suffering before the pain did ease up, she found that she could breathe again without feeling that her throbbing muscle was about to be ripped apart. "I think the pain has passed," she confessed as she rested heavily against the blonde, "it doesn't hurt too much now," were it not for having the valkyrie as a personal pillar of fortitude and reassurance, she was sure that she'd be feeling a lot worse.

"Okay, alright...that's good," Tamsin was beginning to nod, speaking in a shamble of uncertainty and anxiety, "lets get you downstairs," she waited until Bo was confident enough to pull back and only then did she reach for the handle so that she could open the door. But not for a second did she even consider taking her sights away. Out of courtesy and concern, she let her significant other exit first.

Things were fine until Bo felt another wave of anguish stream through her system, although this time it felt like her chest was being crushed. The intensity made her stagger into the wall at the other side of the corridor and she was hunching as she began to cough. As she chose to cover her mouth with her hand, blood was being left on her palm.

The sight made the detective's whole world drop back into the state of despair and she was always on a hasty call, but her worries betrayed her, "fuck," she cursed in a wail as she threw her arms around Bo to keep her from falling, "I don't know what to-Kenzi!" Her tune was changing from one range to the next, much like her words, "KENZI! I need you up here now!" While she awaited the rushed set of footsteps coming from downstairs, she held on tighter to the convulsing female in her arms, "Bo, stay with me, stay awake."

Between the war inside of her body, the brunette was trying to focus on Tamsin's words - even above the pain - and she lowered her hand from her mouth in a last resort to cling onto the blonde's shirt, successfully staining it crimson.

Before anything could be said amongst the two, the young girl had made her way to the hallway, although she stopped in her tracks so quickly that anyone would believe she had walked into an invisible wall. "Oh my God, Bo!" she exclaimed in a panic-stricken voice and raced forward, "what has happened?"

"Her heart is under some serious damage," Tamsin raked around in her pocket for the keys to her vehicle and when she reached them, she tossed them across to the thief, "start the truck up, we need to take her to Lauren."

"I don't think I'm going to make it," Bo mumbled through a weakened voice, her body grew much frailer after her fit of rasping.

"Yes you are!" The valkyrie barked and flickered her focus back to the confused teenager, "start the truck, Kenzi," this time when she gave the order, the girl followed it instantaneously.

The brunette was letting her eyes drift shut, slipping within and without of unconsciousness, "you know, I always wanted to be normal...and now that I am...I'm destined to die, this really hurts," she was speaking near to incoherency.

"You have one thing that destiny didn't count on; me." There was no doubt in Tamsin's mind that she was going to have to go through some form of unspeakable hell to make this right, but she knew it had to be done. Like before, she slipped an arm under Bo's thighs and curled her other one around her waist so that she could carry her from her feet. Letting the injured woman walk would have been far too cruel.

And the detective was far too paranoid to care.

The dam on her emotions was blowing apart.

All she could focus on was getting the woman to the doctor, if her composure fell apart along the way then she couldn't waste time on trying to keep herself together.

With Bo's life on the line, it truly messed Tamsin up inside.

* * *

The ten minute journey onwards to the medical complex where the doctor was so often situated was nothing to be envied. Not only was Bo lapsing into different bouts of pain and discomfort, but Tamsin's constant swearing and jittering had done nothing for Kenzi's confidence with driving. Hence why the truck had nearly come to a crash, twice. It was havoc, probably due to the way that the valkyrie really wasn't handling anything well which was extremely out of character for her. She was supposed to be too strong to falter and too reliable to fail, but all she could think of was the pain that the brunette must have been suffering. She kept giving the same words over and over. _'No, you won't die,'_, _'Shit, this is hell in a handbasket,'_, _'Just breathe, just breathe, just breathe.'_

Yes, it was accurate to say that love made her a wreck in a time of crisis.

Well, if not love itself, then certainly her love for Bo.

By the time the destination had been reached, the thief wasn't even in the process of turning the engine off before she found that the blonde next to her was almost kicking the door open to get out. She practically threw herself from the vehicle and then steadied herself so that she could carry the limp brunette out with much more grace and care than her own departure had. She trusted that Kenzi would lock the truck up and follow behind, because sadly, she couldn't afford to wait around. With Bo in her arms, Tamsin was jogging to the entrance of the building.

It became a habit for her to shove her boot into doors, as she repeated the very same technique. The hinges came loose and the wooden frame swung open, allowing her to speed inside, "LAUREN!" she called out at the top of her lungs, apprehensive and sweating with the adrenaline that kept building inside of her, "where the hell are you!?"

Moments passed while she was left gazing down at the brunette; she looked like she was struggling, but her hand was still gripping lethally to the valkyrie's shirt, so she was awake somewhere.

"Tamsin, what is going on?" The doctor's voice came from the back of the room as she turned the corner, leaving the lab behind so that she could confront this commotion. Her eyes set down onto her former girlfriend and a concern spiked into her own mind.

"Bo...she's..." Failing, again, the detective was glancing frantically between either women, "...the heart virus...fix her.." she made no other demands, but she repeated the same phrase with impossibly more conviction, "please, fix her."

The brunette was giving little mumbles and groans as her body was carried across to one of the patient beds, she was laid down with care, although she was hardly conscious of her surroundings. Aside from the overwhelming tightening and deathly grip around her heart, she couldn't fathom reality, but she was able to force out two broken syllables, "Tamsin..."

"I'm right here," the valkyrie took a hold of Bo's hand as tightly as she could, her eyes were flickering everywhere over the woman's body, seeing that the condition on her chest had worsened. More of those hexed veins were spreading; like poison.

Meanwhile the doctor was busy bringing over a metal tray with several pieces of medical equipment upon it, "she is sharing the symptoms that the other victims have suffered from, how long has she been like this?"

"I'm not sure..." Tamsin could barely think straight as she focused too much on watching the squirming brunette, "ten minutes, fifteen...maybe, she keeps getting worse-"

Rightfully, the detective's words were proven correct when Bo began to writhe around violently, her groans grew louder, "Tamsin! Tamsin, it really hurts...!" With the way that she was beginning to thrash around with her limbs, she clearly wasn't lying. The pain must have been increasing horribly.

Lauren had noticed and took immediate action as she grabbed up one of the syringes from the makeshift table next to the bedside, "hold her down, she needs to be sedated," when an answer wasn't received in the next second, she ordered again, "Tamsin, snap out of it, you need to hold her down right now."

The detective wouldn't look back on this as a great moment for being cool in a crisis, but she did attune to reality again and she brought her hands to Bo's shoulders, using a lot of force to keeping her jerking form steady. With her superior strength it wasn't tough, but she was stunned by the resilience she was met with. Her fingers clamped tighter into the female's shirt while Lauren proceeded to roll up her sleeve so that she could administer the injection in the destined area of the arm.

Even once the sedation was a success it took time for the brunette to calm down into a state of submission, Tamsin's hands were trembling violently against her shoulders as she kept her pressed down onto the bed. Seeing Bo in a state like this was beyond any physical torture, the blonde could handle that...but being hurt on the inside? Having her emotions targeted? Now that, she disliked immensely. Lauren was saying words in the background that were muffled to her; things along the lines of the woman being stable for the time being. Although, very different thoughts were racing through the detective's misshapen mind, _'she's in really bad shape, she's in __**really**__ bad shape, what if I lose her? I'm going to LOSE her.'_

And so, in the next second, chaos ensued.

Tamsin finally flipped.

She shoved herself away from the bed and aggression sped through her like an unstoppable lightning storm. Her entire approach became broken and perilous as she neared the doctor. Without thought, she thrust her left hand out and grabbed Lauren by the throat, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" She roared furiously and crushed her fingers tighter around the now-gasping woman's neck, "IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SO GODDAMN STUPID...IF YOU HADN'T RUN AWAY, THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED!"

"Tamsin...I...can't..." Lauren was struggling to intake any oxygen into her lungs as she clung on with desperation to the blonde's wrist. She was beginning to see specs due to each vein in her head beginning to throb due to the lack of blood being allowed to rush to her brain.

"I could snap your neck like a twig! I should...!" The valkyrie's inner rage and fear for Bo's life weren't mingling to a safe degree as she began to lift the human an inch or two from the ground, until her feet were dangling, "I've taken lives before, one more isn't going to give me a sleepless night!"

It was closing in to the point where the valkyrie couldn't even remind herself that without Lauren around Bo's chances of survival would be lessened. All she felt was the need to cast the blame out where she saw that it was most deserved. The woman's pulse was battering against her palm and her eyes were growing heavier which was a sign that the choking was taking a rapid toll.

"Oh, crapballs," Kenzi sputtered out in shock when she had finally rushed into the room. Her delay was only due to her desire to get Dyson across here as quickly as possible. Apparently it was a smart move, too. "Tamsin - what are you doing?" When her presence was barely acknowledged, she leaned out the same door way, calling back to the male detective who was coming her way, "D-man, hurry up, your teammate has gone apeshit crazy!"

The last statement was more than an incentive to make Dyson's pace become frantic, he turned into the room and instantly came to a stop when he saw how true the thief's words were. "Tamsin," he growled lowly in alert as he raced to his blonde partner, "let her go before you end up killing her," his warning was given once, in a hope that he wouldn't have to take action.

"Back off, Dyson, this doesn't concern you," the blonde was throwing her own dangerous words back, "I knew that this pathetic woman would be the catalyst for my unhappiness. Bo would be awake right now if she wasn't so determined to find her beloved doctor!"

"You don't want to do this, partner," the male didn't waste any more time, he lunged at the valkyrie and grappled a hold of her arms from behind, yanking her back. Although, he relied on his strength as a shifter for the extra force to squash the wind from her lungs while doing so, which in turn caused her grip to loosen on Lauren.

As the doctor crashed to the ground, gasping, coughing and wheezing, Kenzi ran to her side as swiftly as she could. The two had never gotten along, but things were too unpredictable to leave her on her own.

"Get the HELL off me!" Tamsin was lashing out, kicking and fighting in the male's robust hold. They were staggering and stumbling, but it didn't take too much effort until she slammed her elbow back into Dyson's abdomen. He groaned and his arms slackened. It presented her with the opportunity to turn around. Without thinking she launched her fist into Dyson's jaw with too much power than she should have put out. Not only was he sent tumbling back, but he collided into one of the technical machines which caused him twice the damage.

She must've packed quite a punch if she could send the wolf back like that.

The detective wasn't aware of just how barbaric she was acting, her sadness had manifested into fury and as she spun around, she held the same look of malevolence on her face. And at the same time, all it took was a glance in Kenzi's direction to make her conscience tap back into her.

As it happened, the thief looked...scared? Threatened?

It was something the valkyrie had never sparked before and it brought out some of her own guilt. She inhaled slowly, regrettably looking to the pained doctor and then to Dyson - whom was wiping away a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. Finally, her sights fell back to Bo. Were she awake right now then she'd have been both shocked and ashamed at the aggressive display of behavior.

Tamsin's emotions fell down by the wayside as she turned on her heels and made her way to the door. She slammed her fist into one of the metal cabinets while passing, which didn't just leave a dent but also knocked it over until it crashed heavily into the solid flooring beneath. "If she dies, you die...doctor."

Evidence had been proven enough in the last minute to indicate that Lauren should take the threat as seriously as it came. She was still sat aimlessly on the ground, rubbing the reddened area of her neck and staring at the back of the blonde through wide eyes.

Kenzi's sympathy came back to her and she scurried after the detective, "Tamsin wait," she called, chasing out of the door until she realized that the valkyrie wasn't leaving. No, she was just pacing back and forth furiously, with her hands on her hips and her gaze on the greyer skies above.

No matter how hard the blonde tried, she couldn't keep herself together. She never cried - she hated it - but here she was doing everything in her power to keep those damn tears behind her stubborn eyes. The fact that she had a single-member audience didn't help. It made her more adamant in her attempts to stay strong.

"Dude, will you just slow down," Kenzi pushed forward and tried to reach out for the valkyrie's shoulder. However, the woman was very speedy to jerk away from the hold. "You're acting all crazy, I'm really worried about you. I mean sure...we've all wanted to throttle Lauren, but no one actually has the kahooni's to do it."

"I'd have killed her if Dyson didn't stop me." Maybe the blonde's confession sounded less proud than she had wanted.

"No, Tamsin, you wouldn't-"

"Yes, I would have. I know it," Tamsin cut in quickly, releasing out a breathless chuckle that was filled with more sorrow than amusement, "there has to be something wrong with me, right? That I have the ability to kill someone I know, hell, I could've broken Dyson's jaw...just because he got involved."

"Look, maybe it feels like you can kill everyone in sight, but people do dumb stuff when someone they love is hurt. You're world is just shaken up now that Bo is...well..."

"Go on, say it, she's on her death bed," the valkyrie's head dropped lowly and she used the front of her boot to kick an unsuspecting stone aside, "and there isn't anything I can do for her. She's a human...I can't give her my Chi, and it's not a wound I can stitch up either."

_'Wow, I've never seen blondie like this before,'_ Kenzi noted to herself as she made another attempt to place her hand on the detective's shoulder. Thankfully this time she was granted the contact. "I'm here for you."

Something about hearing 'supportive' words always made Tamsin want to look the other way, she disliked how weak it made her appear, but she had to tell herself that the girl's heart was in the right place, "yeah, I know."

"No, I don't think you do actually," the thief disagreed as she held tighter onto the blonde's arm so that she could tug her around until they were facing, "I'm your friend. _Friend_, Tamsin, as in a person who _cares_ for you, so don't start shutting me out now."

"I don't need a friend Kenzi, I just need Bo-" Much to Tamsin's confoundedness, she was only finishing her angered rant when she felt the younger girl lunge into her for a tight hug. She stopped everything she was doing or saying.

"It's okay," Kenzi was consoling, "you're just scared, it's okay, I understand" when she recognized that the valkyrie was limply leaning against her, she took it as a better sign of communication between them, therefore she began to rub her hands along the woman's back as an extra source of comfort.

Tamsin's chin was resting on Kenzi's shoulder and she remained pretty much lifeless in her arms as she stared into the distance. Her expression was miserable and void of all other emotion. As a person who bottled up grief constantly, whenever it surfaced it took a mighty fine cost on her. The underlining of her eyes were considerably darker, as if she hadn't slept in days and her complexion had washed to an all new pale. Anyone would mistake her as the one who was suffering from an illness. To her denial, a scarce tear decamped down her left cheek, but she wasn't sobbing as such. She felt too numb to cry properly, either that, or she just didn't quite know how to.

"I can't lose you over this too," the girl continued with her endearing words as she resumed her stroking along the other female's spine, "we still have time to fix this all Tamsin, Bo isn't dead which means we can save her, right? Come on, aren't you the one who never gives up? You should be telling me that we're going to win, not the other way around. Where are you?"

Each syllable to fall from the human's lips had managed to sink somewhere into the valkyrie's torn soul, she sighed her regrets through a heavy exhale, "I'm sorry Kenzi, I didn't mean what I said before," she was apologizing, which was also unventured territory for her. Awkwardly, she slid her arms around the smaller girl, "I _do_ need you, right now you're just about the only person who can keep me grounded."

"It's cool, we all say things we don't mean in a time of crisis, but I've got your back Detective Icicle, I won't let you go off the rails," Kenzi was making a vow as she gave the other woman a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She felt as though she was taking on the adult role now that she knew how Bo's current condition was able to take Tamsin down to the lowest point possible. She certainly wasn't stable.

"I'm such an idiot," Tamsin was berating herself as she patted her hand against Kenzi's shoulderblade, "I've been so caught up in myself that I haven't paid attention to you. Bo is your best friend, I can't imagine that this is easy for you, how are you holding up so well?"

"Because I believe in you."

"That's not much of an answer at all," the valkyrie could have scoffed as she remembered to pull away from the embrace.

The thief merely shrugged her shoulders, "it's the only one I've got. I'm freaking out majorly, trust me, Bo is the closest thing I've got to family in this world so if I lose her, my whole world falls apart, but she has you...and I have you. And because of that, I know that you'll carry her world, and mine if you have to."

"...Kenzi, I'm not..." The detective's cheeks puffed as she tried to think of an easy let down to give, "I'm not the person you think I am, my life consists of constant screw-ups."

"Oh, that's a load of crap and you know it," the girl gave the sombre blonde a light punch in the arm, "can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't go to all corners of the earth to save Bo's life?"

"Of course I would."

"Then, you see? I am right. You are _that_ person."

Tamsin's mind didn't contain the correct vocabulary to reply to what the girl was saying to her. In all her years she had never had someone who pinned such a high quantity of faith in her. Even Bo didn't dote and depend on her this much - she was sure of that. It was then that she brought her fingers underneath Kenzi's chin in order to tilt her head up a little; the revelation soon striking her. "You're quite a lonely little creature aren't you?"

"Now you're just going back into your crazy-phase again, moi? Lonely? Please, what in the world are you talking about?" The thief spoke as though she had just heard the most absurd thing in history.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. All of your friends are so caught up in this stupid love war that you're always the odd one out, Dyson, Lauren, Bo...even me, we're probably all blind to everything apart from these silly feelings. I'm sorry about that."

"Well, that's all important stuff though, it's fine, I totally understand."

"So, you don't think you're important enough?"

For once, Kenzi was the one who was stuck for a response, she looked as though she was trying hard to find an answer.

"Because you _are_. I don't want you to be alone, kid. You deserve some happiness."

Just as she prepared to venture deeper into the conversation so that she could express that she didn't want to focus selfishly on her own problems, she heard a lot of rushed footsteps and obscene words from the medical room.

_'Something is wrong,'_ she identified that there was a new problem.

Exchanging a look of questioning with Kenzi, Tamsin soon branched off to the door again and retraced her previous steps as she walked inside. Lauren was leaning over Bo; resting an ear to her chest and Dyson had that look on his face as though someone had just pulled his arm off.

_'Why isn't Bo moving...?'_ The valkyrie began to question as all feeling in her legs began to leave her, _'why isn't she moving!?'_

"Her cerebral perfusion has stopped," Lauren began to make an analysis as she began to place her fingers to the brunette's wrist.

_'...meaning...?'_ Tamsin wasn't sure of the terms, so questions kept filling her mind.

"And there is a cessation to the blood flow circulating her heart; it's impaired."

_'MEANING!?'_

"Dyson, she is going into cardiac arrest," the doctor gave her diagnosis through a frantic voice of dread.

Well, that term hit the blonde like a big bright shiny red target. Reality came crumbling in all over again. "What!?"

Both other figures across from the room were startled by her presence, mainly because their attention was strictly on the unmoving brunette. Lauren didn't look like she had the time of day to argue right now, so she faced the front again and tried to focus as best as she could.

Kenzi, by now, was at the blonde's side with wide eyes as she heard what was being conversed, "Bo is..." physically unable to finish her words, a dry lump had welled up in her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand.

The doctor wore a light frown as she brought her fingers back to rest over the pulse point of the bed-ridden female's neck, "she's not breathing, I need to get the defibrillator from my storage unit upstairs," she explained, already finding a solution as she pulled away.

All Tamsin just heard was 'she's not breathing', or rather, that was the only thing she found important, she began to move across the room as quickly as she could, because in her mind, if Bo was dead - if her heart was shut down - then she'd re-start it without a second to lose. "Fuck your defibrillator, are you kidding me? She has to be saved NOW."

"No, wait, you don't understand...you can't give her CPR, Tamsin, you will only put yourself at risk to catching the same virus - none of us can take that chance." The doctor was trying to give a fair warning as to why she wasn't taking a more immediate response to the woman's deteriorating condition.

"Then give her _my_ heart," the valkyrie was going off to the most extreme solutions as she reached down and pulled her dagger out from her belt, "I told you that I'd carve it out for her, I wasn't lying." Whether her head was in the right place was highly questionable at this moment of time but, in either case, she brought the tip of the weapon to her chest, "here, I'll cut in and do half of the work for you."

"TAMSIN!" Kenzi exclaimed and literally had to run forward in order to wrestle the blade out of the unbalanced detective's hands, "no!"

Lauren's jaw dropped and she glanced over to the male shifter, seeing that he was just as unsettled by how out-of-hand everything was becoming. One hint that Bo could be gone forever and the valkyrie was pretty much auctioning her own life to the netherworld - only it was free of charge.

"Fine, then I've got no choice," the blonde gave up her outrageous 'hara kiri-like' act and let go of the dagger. Her steps led her straight to Bo, and when Dyson tried to pull her back, she gave a rough shrug away from his arms. _'By the time it takes the doctor to get her equipment it could be too late,'_ she was convincing herself and she couldn't afford to take any chances.

The doctor was pursing her lips, growing distraught over the little control she had. Usually she would be the one giving out commands and whatnot, but even in her own field of profession, the stubborn valkyrie was breaking past all limits. "Tamsin, the disease-"

"Screw the risk of disease, she's worth it," the detective snapped, but her words came out as a broken whine. She wouldn't listen to anyone else. And she couldn't sit around and watch while everyone wanted to waste time setting up equipment. What if there was a glitch in the technology? It could squander everything. She leaned down and covered Bo's mouth with her own, using her thumb to rest against her chin, pulling a little so that she could deploy her oxygen into the woman she loved.

Human or succubus; in any scenario, Bo always received a 'breath' of life from Tamsin.

After she exhaled a suitable amount of her own energy, she pulled back and laced one palm over the other before resting both over the lower half of Bo's breastbone, over her solar plexus. She began to press down, determined to succeed. The compressions that she was giving to the female's chest were more accurate than most people would give a non-medical personnel credit for. Still it came back to the same point, survival. Of course the valkyrie would know just what to do to expand life, without scientific means.

"Come on, work, damn it, work," she seethed through gritted teeth, breathlessly, as she made attempt after attempt to bring the brunette back from the brink. However, she was given no reaction so far, "this isn't happening...this can't be happening..."

In the background, Dyson gave his head a tip to signal to the doctor to proceeded with gathering the medical equipment, irregardless of the futility of the blonde's current approach. He stepped away from the table and came to place his hand on Kenzi's shoulder instead. The girl was unable to look away, but she was very clearly mortified.

"She just needs air...she - she needs more air," the valkyrie convinced herself more than anyone else as she repeated her actions beforehand by bringing her lips back to Bo's. As she forced her own oxygen back into her, it didn't even concern her that she was probably going to pick up the same virus. The sacrifice of love was always going to be so costly. Unlike her first time, she put double the breath into her efforts, to the stage where she felt her lungs wail in protest. Still, she didn't care. Pulling back with a short gasp, she placed her hands back across the mid section of the female's chest and began to press down direly, "why won't this work! This...it's not working...!" She was shouting in desolation as she kept pushing, "get your ass back here right now, Bo...come back..."

Voice failing, the blonde's worries over the course of the past hour had surged to the highest possible level. Everything had turned out so disastrously, so quickly. This was never supposed to happen - she promised herself that she would always look after the succubus and she had failed already.

Kenzi moved closer to the male next to her, to the point where she closed her eyes and turned to rest her forehead against his arm. As hard as she had been trying, she slipped up when a slight sob rushed from her. Not only did her best friend's life hang in the balance, but witnessing how someone as strong as the valkyrie break down, piece by piece, well it was just plain torture.

Dyson sensed the younger girl's distress next to him, so he kept his hand on her lower back, patting gently as the smallest sign of comfort that he could express. His eyes were fixed on his partner, who was going back and forth through the whole routine of the resuscitation again and again, and again. The doctor still hadn't returned with the equipment yet, so maybe it was more reasonable as to why Tamsin threw caution to the wind and just went for it. The entire time he could hear her continuously questioning herself. It was all the same.

Why isn't this working?

Why aren't you getting up?

Why won't you come back to me?

Anyone would think that the blonde was as innocent as a child when it came to death; as though she couldn't quite understand it.

"Tamsin," Dyson spoke in a tone that already began to suggest his attitude had sunk low past the point of depression, "it is out of your hands now." Being who he was, he didn't want to suggest that she 'give up', but he wanted her to be aware that there were things in life beyond the powers of one valkyrie, unfortunately.

"No, it's not!" The detective yelped shamelessly, "it's not, I can do this, it is my job to save her - I CAN'T accept this, this...this wasn't - it's not what I signed up for," her words were jumbled as she switched back, in preparation to give more oxygen. But before doing so, her tiredness caught up with her, causing her to rest her forehead against the inactive female's, "Bo, just give me something, anything, I know you're still in there somewhere. You're not gone, I wouldn't let that happen."

And so she went, running in circles with the same tactic for another countless time. Although, progressively, her attitude was faltering. When no results came from this specific attempt, Tamsin pulled away sharply, "GOD DAMN IT!" she threw her hand into the wall next to her. Now there was a small chunk of the plaster missing and blood seeped down her scraped knuckles, so she hit the same area for a second time, and then a third, crying out the same, "damn it! Damn it!"

In fear that the wall had met it's match, Dyson called another stern, "Tamsin!"

She was acting too erratic for her own good, and he knew why, but he didn't want her damaging herself over it.

"What is it? Why can't you just stay out of this, let me save her Dyson," the valkyrie was whining as she stopped her repetitive punching. Instead she leaned forward, resting her head on the wall. She gave one small bash and very quickly pulled herself away so that she could face the male, "this is Bo, tell me you wouldn't do the same thing."

"You beat me to it," the male was in a checkmate, because he could see no way around arguing with Tamsin's point. Not when she put it in the way that she did. He would never stand around to watch Bo die - but his partner's reaction had been insanely prompt. His determination may not have lasted so long. Failure had a way of eating into one's hopelessness and from everything he could see, the valkyrie was past that point. Most people would have given up and waited for Lauren to return with the proper medical equipment, but not her.

Tamsin didn't respond to the profound agreement over saving the life of the brunette; she acted upon it instead. Returning to the bedside, she just couldn't seem to let it go. Ever. "If you don't breathe, I'll _never_ forgive you," her depression had sunk into the stage of pleading as she started to slam her fist down into Bo's chest, "I'll-" slam, "-never-" slam, "-forgive-" slam, "-you!"

Her force had been so explosive that she heard a small sickening crack and she could only assume that she had accidentally cracked one of the woman's rib bones. She forgot how fragile humans were.

How was it possible for her to destroy Bo whilst trying to save her life? Only Tamsin could pick out those unlucky odds.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," she whined, "I just want you back," as her fist came crashing down at a lighter rate into the woman's chest, she nearly jumped from her boots when she heard a precipitated gasp. At first, she imagined her mind just played a trick on her to believe it was from Bo, but then she felt the new and unsteady heartbeat under her palm.

The brunette's eyes weren't open, which meant that she was still in a state of deeper unconsciousness - but she was breathing again.

"You did it," Dyson didn't even attempt conceal the amazement in his tone, and even had he chosen to do so, the evident shock on his face would have given him away. His words caused Kenzi's gaze to flash immediately over to the bed which she had painfully avoided staring at before. Unlike the male's reaction, her features were brightening up in relief.

The valkyrie couldn't stop staring down at the sleeping woman - was she even aware of what was going on? Did she know that she had come so close to being lost forever? Was she still hurting inside?

No more than fifteen seconds later, Lauren had returned to the room in a pace which put the term 'rushed' as an understatement, in her hand she was carrying a large case - it was obviously heavy, but she had shouldered the weight. "What is going on?" She asked, a little astounded that she couldn't hear Tamsin bawling as she had done when she was in the next room retrieving the medical supplies. She didn't even need an answer though, not when she saw that Bo's chest was moving - a sign of life. In spite of her dislike for the valkyrie, she uttered a quiet, "thank God for your determination, Tamsin."

Being shown a sign of gratitude was the least thing the blonde had expected, but she couldn't even bring herself to speak back. Her eyes were only on Bo, and she couldn't find the same solace that the other three had, not when she knew that the female could suffer a similar event in the next minute, or hour, or day. This time, they were lucky. What if it happened again?

"I'm going to run some tests on her," the doctor stated calmly as she placed the case down next to the bed, she didn't have time to confront her own emotions on the matter due to how fast paced everything was, "I'll need you to give her some space, Tamsin. Would you mind stepping back?"

_'She's trapped within herself, alone...and probably terrified,'_ the valkyrie's thoughts were a sure way to tear her up even more than she already was, _'what if she is hurting right now?'_

In fact, all the detective could think about was that Bo would suffer until either a cure was found, or this witch was located and the hex was somehow broken.

"Tamsin, please..." Lauren insisted and very lightly placed her two fingers to the woman's shoulder to give her the softest of nudges.

Although, the action itself didn't cause too much damage, Tamsin ended up staggering one step until all of her numbness shattered and she collapsed to the ground. Her legs just didn't want to carry her any longer. Laying on her back, her defenses finally gaveway and she broke down into a state of hysterical sobbing and all mannerisms of noises that could only be defined as heartwrenching. She couldn't even hold it all in anymore and she didn't try to either. The cries ripped from her as she brought her hands to cover over her face. If Bo suffered, then she wanted to suffer right along with her.

Kenzi, Dyson and Lauren were all left wide-mouthed, unable to believe their eyes.

Life must have been in a bad place if the valkyrie crumbled to a weeping woman.

Her fingers were running through her hair and she was sniffling as she choked out. Did she not still possess on thread of dignity then she might have started to kick her legs around, but instead she just began to cry out Bo's name.

"...I don't get it, didn't she win?" Kenzi's voice was barely as whisper as she observed her distraught friend.

Dyson shook his head, "she won't consider this a win, Kenzi, not until Bo is walking around."

"I didn't even tell her that I loved her," the detective was mewling and wiping at the tears that streamed down her cheeks, "I didn't say it, I pushed her too hard...I was trying to train her, I wanted her to be strong...she needed comfort. I should have told her that I loved her. I _should_ have..."

"Tamsin, come on, snap out of it," Kenzi broke forward and crouched down next to the blonde, "we can get through this, we just need to find this witch-bitch, if we kill her maybe it'll reverse everything - maybe we can find a cure."

Even though she had been worried over her best friend, she had also been forming a plan in her mind as to how this could be resolved. She knew that the valkyrie would be too conflicted to think straight, so she was willing to take on that burden for a change. She lowered her hand to rub against Tamsin's knee while she awaited some form of a response.

"She has Bo's powers now...and who knows what else she can do," Tamsin groaned and rubbed her eyes harder to try and get rid of the evidence that was being left by her own tears, "it'll be suicide for sure, but...I'll go, I'll do it, it's not like I've got anything else to lose."

"...about that, I might've thought a little ahead," the girl admitted and inhaled deeply, "you all said that we have to avoid contact with this witch, so I thought of a way to fight her...without being too close."

"What do you mean?" Dyson asked, arching a brow as he looked down to the thief, intrigued.

"Well..."

As Kenzi's answer trailed off, the entrance doors to the building swung open, "never thought I'd find myself back with the airy-fairy bunch so soon," Vex's distinct tone oozed with sarcasm as he waltzed into the room, flexing his most relied upon arm, "I hear you have a witch problem."

* * *

Wow, that was a hell of a chapter to write. I wanted to focus on Tamsin's psyche. In the beginning she was cool, collected and telling Bo that everything would be fine. But when she saw just how real everything was, she started to break apart little by little. I think most people would 'lose it' if they had to witness the person they loved suffering in such a way, I know I would. c':

I know what you're thinking; why weren't Dyson and Lauren crying their hearts out? Well, they were both trying to deal with it professionally, as in, "okay, Bo is at risk, we need to set her down, run tests and find a solution to save her."

Tamsin couldn't think like that, she was more, "the woman I love could die in the next hour, I don't care about anything else, I need to save her, screw risks and morals."

Neither coping method is wrong, our valkyrie is just more...colossal with hers, the fact that she could turn against Lauren and hit Dyson is proof that when it comes to Bo's life, she has no limits of what she'll do. I think Kenzi is the only person that can calm her right now. In fact, the only reason Kenzi wasn't a 'sobbing wreck' was because she was thinking ahead, outside of the box; going after the source of the problem, a.k.a, the witch.

And then enters Vex! x'D

(Reviews! p.s sorry for that long rant, just wanted to explain how my mind was working! c': )

_Penguinn3_ - Then an update you shall have! I always want to release chapters asap, but life keeps trying to distract me, damn it. ;D

_Guest (s)_ - Why thank you, I certainly enjoy writing about the 'territorialness' on both parts also. Although, Tamsin is more protective, especially since she is starting to flaunt the relationship by calling Bo 'hers'. c':

And that is a very good point actually, it would be amazing to let Tamsin 'show' her aura, I think it would give Bo quite a shock to find out just how much she affects her dear valkyrie. Oh, I love the French, vous êtes génial! xD

Indeed, I always try to update as soon as I can, but even my quickest right now doesn't feel quick enough! x']

The heartthrob writer? That's quite a title, thank you! If my fanfic gives people something to look forward to during the week or when they wake up, return for a crappy day of work/school, then I'm going to continue for a long time. As old fashioned as it sounds, I get my enjoyment by making others happy. c':

_MonsterGalore_ - Couldn't have said it better myself, I love your reaction; priceless! ;]

_Snagam80_ - Well, as I recall you have a very vast and awesome vocabulary, so I'm sure it'll return to you, I hope. xD  
I'm right there with you, I'm looking forward to writing about this witch bitch getting sent to a place that makes the underworld seem like paradise! And I agree, I actually do admire Lauren a lot as a character, I think that with Tamsin getting the dirty work done and her figuring out a solution, the two of them are going to be responsible for saving the day. How fun it must be for Bo, having two women that love her coming to her rescue in different ways. :']  
Haha, I see, well I tend to switch between writing 'ass' and 'arse' a lot. In the UK we write colour with a 'u' but I always choose the American style and describe it as color instead.

_TheJojo99_ - I think it should be a valkubus party all of the time! I was so happy to have Bo defending her feelings for Tamsin. I'm sure she didn't like having to let Lauren go as bluntly as that, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And I'm seriously considering writing a whole load of Valkubus-ness after our girls have survived this next dose of drama. Tamsin is going to be a sweetheart for a while, methinks. xD  
Zoie Palmer is coming to your city!? That is so awesome! Damn, I'm officially jealous now, she's so cool! Well, if you get the chance to see her/talk to her, I'm sure you could ask her things like, has playing 'Lauren' made her research a lot of 'doctor-ish' stuff in real life, or, if Lauren and Tamsin were stuck on a desert island together, what would they do? c':  
Wow, there are dozens of questions that I'd love to ask the Lost Girl cast, particularly dear Rachel, if only it were that easy. x]

_ Liilka_ - Hello there! Let me say, I'm honored that you've broken your tradition and written a review for me, because I'm very thrilled to be able to read it! So thank you very much. And, thank you again, for your lovely words, I'm so glad that you enjoy the fanfiction and I'm always up for describing some Valkubus lovin' because Bo and Tamsin are perfect for each other! c':  
And I'm glad that you love Dyson as a character, because I do too! Even though I might not ship him with Bo, I think he is so awesome and I've really had fun touching on his fierce loyalty and friendship with Tamsin. He's never going to be the bad guy in my eyes! XD

_zigfiction_ - Thank you very, very much! I always try to write as much as I can, so hopefully I'm not boring everyone by trailing things on and on. I have this rule where I want to make things realistic, like I try not to rush things, even though at some points I want to. But I am so flattered that you can read into the themes that are appearing. You are AMAZING! There's definitely a vibe of sad flow, especially since Tamsin realizes that Bo is helpless as a human and that she could die. As a valkyrie, she knows that she's expiring so that explains why she finds herself expendable whenever she risks her life for Bo. Awh, but bless you, I'm honestly so grateful to have a wonderful reviewer such as yourself, it makes my day. All of my reviewers are like little stars lighting up my life. c':

_xoDollyDeexo_ - Why hello there, darlin'! Don't worry about it, I understand the troubles and business of school and illness, so you have my sympathies. I hope that you're beginning to feel better though, and if not, then I'll send more chapters your way, so you can relax and read them whenever you please! c':  
And definitely, there'll be more jealous Tamsin in the future, and possibly some jealous Bo too. x]

_Buffiasmeno_ - Not to worry, I'd never leave you hanging like that for too long! (hopefully) and I'd love to be able to post up two chapters at a time, so I'll definitely have a look into that for you, because I do enjoy showing some mercy. ;'D

_LukeJames_ - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, I was struggling between humanity or something to do with her heart, there's so many choices after all! x']

_not4u2no2_ - Awh, that's very sweet of you, thank you so much, it means a lot to know that you are able to enjoy my writing. But, believe me, your writing is also extremely amazing! I might've read your fanfic...one or twice, or 6372626 times, not that I'm becoming quite a fan or anything like that *wink*  
Seriously, it's awesome! And I enjoy reading how other people tackle Tamsin as a character, it's really great! xD

_Purple-Ketchup_ - Well what can I say? I adore reading the stories that people have to tell, as well as falling into the sweet allure of their writing styles and techniques and let me tell you - yours are fantastic! I shall definitely have to leave a sneaky review! ;D  
Haha, I loved your Harry Potter reference, I mean, Dumbledore is quite an asskicker, I certainly wouldn't want to insult him. But, I couldn't agree more, Tamsin and Bo are in for quite the ride. If they aren't dealing with Lauren then they are fighting through all the other troubles of the day. c':

_sapphirecelestial_ - That means so much to me! Thank you! Seriously, I've always tried to stay as true as I can to Tamsin's character - even above all of the others. So you have officially made my day! And I'm so happy that you even take the time to read and review this! So thank you so much for that! I actually never want this fanfic to come to an end, mainly because I always feel like I get to share some wild adventure with you and all of the other reviewers that no one else in the world knows about! xD

_FlipChick23_ - I'm sure that in time, Lauren may want to take a chance and talk to 'human' Bo, but there's no way in hell that Tamsin will let anything threaten the relationship. c':

_Withlove-frommee_ - Well, who really needs school work when there is Valkubus right? (I'm totally kidding, every teacher in the world would kick my ass if they read that! ;D ) But, it warms my ol' little heart to know that you're reading all of these explicit chapters in your innocent school! *High five for the awesome badassery*  
I'll definitely keep it up for you! xD

_bruubertolo_ - Haha, well, rest assured, in the case of a heart attack, I'd race across to save you Tamsin-style! Or Bo style...whichever one comes to my mind first! But thank you so much, I'm always so psyched to write about Valkubus, so I get carried away and throw all manners of drama and twists into the plot! x'D  
I love to keep everyone guessing... c':  
Well, you do sound like Tamsin in the way that you'd do anything to win, I quite like the sound of that! But then, maybe I'd just take a subtle approach and try to charm you into letting me win. :'D  
Ah, believe me, you please me immensely - I am immensely pleased right now! x]  
Oooh, that is a good one, very crafty, and that's also very sweet! I imagine it'd be torture to wait centuries for the right person. [':

_Puppets' Master_ - Well, as Bo would say...while in the time of grand crisis, "let me explain..." c':  
I was answering in the sense of do I have a partner standing two feet away from me/or in the same town, which I do not. But when it comes to having a super sidekick wife, there's only going to be you. Nothing will ever strip that title away from you my dear! x'D  
*Runs and give you one thousand hugs* No! Don't pull a Tamsin on me now...don't leave, or I'll sulk and pout like Bo for the rest of my days!  
If I have stolen your heart then not only do I feel flattered, but I'll do everything that I can to mend any damage to it! (which I've probably caused, oooooops!)  
Definitely, I could tell you thousands of Valkubus stories. And you adore the innocent stuff huh? Well, then you are in luck, my dear little sweetheart because I'm really quite a chaste person behind the fanfiction, but I'm sure there's a part of Tamsin lurking within me somewhere! xD


	22. Racing Against Time

"I have in my hands, your pale silken scarf.

Forever, my love. Forever, I'm true.

I miss you so much, I leave this with you.

It is impossible finding a word to equal the silence

that lies inside me."

- Remembrance, _Dragons_

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed since the mesmer's unexpected entrance and there was little change in the blonde's demeanor. If anything, she wasn't on her back in an uncomfortable mess. She perched on the chair by the succubus' bed, hunched forward and resting her chin on the mattress as her eyes stayed solely on the unconscious female. Tamsin and depression didn't mingle well together. She could make the simple days of 'sadness' feel like a fond memory, because whatever she was experiencing currently, it could make anyone desire a death wish as a means of escape from a much more lethal torment. Her devotion and determination to stay by Bo's side throughout this nightmare was more than most people would probably be capable of. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, she couldn't even speak properly, so sitting as she was had become her only use. Somehow she had cried until her tear ducts were too dry to produce anymore; she was left with smeared eyeliner and a face of broken resolve.

"Not to argue the toss, but blonde karena over there has seen better days," Vex remarked, referring to terms of his usual slang that took everyone at least five seconds to understand, "she needs a check up from the neck up, clearly."

"Hey, don't act like a douche," Kenzi replied back as she gave her knuckles a gentle prod into the male's arm, "things have been in a real shit storm lately."

"Sounds like you lot need to just sit back and enjoy a cup of tea while I go hag hunting," the mesmer pulled away from where he had been conversing with the others and paced across to the door, "it's been so long since I've had the thrill of a kill. Wrecking witches is just the tonic I need."

Dyson's gaze turned to it's usual brooding sophistication as he watched the darkly dressed male saunter around the room, tinkering around with a few of the more expensive set of medical equipment displayed around. The type that would make the doctor faint if broken or damaged. "This is serious Vex, we can't have you messing this up, not when Bo's life is on the line," the shifter made a warning now to spare himself the trouble of doing so later.

"Relax, mate, I'm hardly going to let the queen of meshing naughty bits go down in flames," Vex began to grin, partially, as he cast a glance back across to the male detective, "nice to see that you're still the same ball of fur and sunshine."

"And you are still the same wise ass."

"We all have our crosses to bear," the mesmer exaggerated his feign of flattery by extending forward into a perfect bow.

Lauren began to lose some patience over the simple conversation dotting back and forth, "we can't waste time around with idle chit-chat, Bo might not have a lot of time left, you need to do whatever you can to get her powers back. Whether you have to kill the witch, or torture her into submission."

"Torture her into submission?" Vex's eyebrow hitched as he shot a smug look to the doctor, "I didn't take you for the kinky type."

"Vex..." Lauren's tone began to lower into one of scolding.

"Alright, alright, chill out, I'm going," the mesmer held his hands out to the side in defeat, "this is the thanks I get for lending you my able support, a bottle of scotch wouldn't have been turned down for future reference."

As the male made a clear progression to the door, Kenzi hopped down from the counter she had been sitting on, "hold up Vexter, I'm coming with you."

However, as the girl tried to make a move for the door, Dyson was quick to stretch out his hand to take a hold of her arm, "Kenzi, I'm not so sure that is a great idea. I can't afford to have you getting hurt if things blow out of proportion, Bo would never forgive me for that."

"She is my best friend, Dyson, I can't just sit around and do nothing," the girl glanced up at the male, hopeful that he would understand where she was coming from, "I want to help save her life, we can't waste any time."

By the doorway, the mesmer was watching the scene between the two intently, although he did roll his eyes, "sentimental gibberish like this always kills the mood," he announced through a long sigh before taking one step forward, "don't worry about your human princess, she's still got my most treasured blush brush, there's no way I'm going to risk losing that."

"How nice to see that he has his priorities set straight..." Lauren mumbled under her own breath while her eyes frequently roamed across to the other side of the room, to check on the status of Bo and Tamsin.

Neither had changed.

One was out of operation, the other was out of hope.

Kenzi shook her head and began pacing backwards to the door, nearer to the mesmer himself, "relax, Vex can be not-so-selfish...sometimes, besides, the two of us will have no trouble facing one little witch."

"Three of us," the valkyrie spoke up from the side of the brunette's bed, turning every head in her direction. She was standing tall, and even though she physically looked dysfunctional, she made progress in the fact that she was speaking again, "I have a score to settle with this old crone."

"Tamsin," Dyson was the first to make an interruption, unsurprisingly, "I think you should sit this one out, you keep putting yourself under too much pressure."

"I don't care about that, if Bo's life hangs in the balance then I need to devote every possible second to finding her a cure," the blonde dragged herself away from the woman's side - as challenging as it was - only to close the distance to where the front entrance was. Her footing was heavy and overall filled with dejection, much like her wallowing eyes. "I can't let her die, I'll lose absolutely _everything_."

Between the valkyrie's travel to the door, Lauren made a point of walking in front of her to block her path, "if you are serious about tagging along with Kenzi and Vex then I need you to do everything you can to make this witch give up the powers that she has stolen," she explained, factually as always, "she could have harvested a lot of different abilities from other Fae, so be careful."

The detective didn't resort to her usual stage of wrath with the doctor so close to her. Her emotions were tapped out currently, what with all of the hysterics she had been in for the past thirty minutes. Yet, she did inhale slowly, looking at the female in her path, "are you telling me this for my benefit, or for Bo's?" She asked bitterly, already knowing the answer.

"If you get yourself killed, Bo loses her best chance of receiving a cure," Lauren didn't openly say that she held little concern about the valkyrie's personal health, but it was an easy insinuation to pick up on, "it's no surprise that we don't like each other, but we both _love_ the same woman, if you can bring me back anything of use, I might be able to create a remedy to the disease."

"You better pray that I don't fail, good doctor," the valkyrie inched forward until her cold eyes were casting a subtle gaze of piercing and ice into Lauren's, "because Bo isn't the only one who could die." Reaffirming the threat she had given on the woman's life didn't spark her with the same sense of confidence and smugness that she would have usually received. Inside, she only felt hollow. Breaking down in the way that she had stripped too much from her.

Vex's sense of inappropriate timing came into play as he monitored the scene, finally, he put two and two together, "oh that's right, you are Bo's new shag partner aren't you? Congrats, by the way, I always knew you both a thing going on, the prolonged glances, the sexual tension..."

"I suggest you shut your mouth," Tamsin was in no mood to hear the witty remarks from the mesmer, not when there was an all out crisis taking place in her life. She tore her gaze from Lauren and glared back across to the male instead.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" The mesmer's habit of tormenting others was beginning to come into play so soon, his eyes gave the blonde the once over and his smirk became all the more devious, "now, now, there's no need to be so snappy, I'm going to help you save your little human whore machine after all."

"Don't talk about her like that!" In a millisecond, the valkyrie had lunged across the short distance, drawing out her dagger. The weapon was raised and lethally ready to make a plunge straight into the male's shoulder, but, as it happened, he was quicker than she gave him credit for. The moment that Vex's hand was raised she felt her own arm turn against her, to the point where the trying to move the limb felt like attempting to slam a revolving door; pointless.

"Nice to see you've still got some fire in you, save it for the witch, yeah?" The mesmer was grinning to himself as he flexed his palm a mere inch which caused the valkyrie's wrist to crane backwards, drawing the knife closer to her own throat. "It feels so good to be back in the game."

"Vex, dude, I said no douching," Kenzi took a hold of the male's arm and yanked it down with enough force so that his powers were no longer active against the fuming blonde, "trust me pal, you do not want to get on the wrong side of a valkyrie, we need to get our heads in the game and save my Bo-licious best friend."

"Alright, mascara addict, fair play," Vex huffed and brought his hands up to neaten the collar of his dark jacket, although, while doing so, he gazed back over to Tamsin, "hey, bygones, right?"

The valkyrie was still in the process of settling her own temper as she tucked the dagger within the leather belt around her waist, "if you repeat your mistake and call Bo a whore while she's on her deathbed I will send you in parts across the world. Understand?"

So, the blonde's ethics were muddled. In a normal day, it wouldn't have bothered her as much to hear someone making a simple comment like that in regards to the brunette. But, while Bo was suffering - and held the possibility of dying - she couldn't stand hearing anyone degrade her.

Even the warning given to the male wasn't quite enough to make him quiver in fear, he exhaled a satisfied sigh instead, "hearing a woman talk like that always rubs me the right way."

Tamsin simply ignored the comment, as she reached the door, she brushed past the thief and the mesmer, "we'll take my truck," was all she uttered as she exited from the building and into the cooler air outside. It was growing closer to the evening, which meant that tracking their target could have proven to be more of a challenge, but the blonde wasn't going to doubt her own skills. Her determination would see her through. Nothing in this planet was going to prevent her from saving Bo's life.

Anything or anyone that chose to stand in her path was as good as dead.

As she reached the driver's side of her vehicle, she ordered her hand to open the door, but before doing so, someone had taken a hold of her wrist. Judging by the softer grip and the black nail polish she could see, she knew who it was.

"Are you sure that you are up to this, blondie?" Kenzi asked as she kept a loose hold onto the female's forearm, "it didn't take much for Vex to set you off back in there and you aren't looking too kick ass right now."

"I'm fine, I just want-"

"Bo, yes, I think the whole world knows that by now," the girl pouted sympathetically as she reached her other hand up so that she could stroke a strand of the blonde's hair behind her ear, "are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here by her side?"

"No, if I stay in that place I'll end up hurting Lauren, probably. At least Dyson is more level-headed, I trust that the two of them will keep her alive until this witch is six feet under," Tamsin didn't place faith in herself to stay calm if she remained in the medical facility, "what happened with Vex, I was just agitated, it won't happen again."

"Vex is just...he's just being _Vex_, the typical smart ass, but his heart must be in the right place if he's willing to come all the way here to help, right?"

"Right, I suppose he can be a useful asset, sometimes."

Speaking of the male, Vex had exited from the building no less than ten seconds ago, and as he approached both females, he carelessly swung each arm around their shoulders, "well, well, a useful asset? I hear someone singing my song."

_'Why didn't I kill this idiot a long time ago?'_ Tamsin posed herself a very curious question, however, she didn't focus on the answer, not with the way that she felt her temper boil with having the mesmer's limb draped around her as though the three of them were the best of friends. "Did I say useful asset? I meant _unuseful ass_."

Kenzi couldn't restrain the small grin that crossed her lips as she freed herself from the male's hold and wandered around to the passenger's door of the vehicle instead, so that they could get this mission underway.

"Darling, if you keep flirting with me like this, people are going to talk," trust the mesmer to continue pushing his luck - even when he was already treading on the thinnest ice possible.

It must have been a Dark Fae thing - to continually piss one another off.

Tamsin's jaw became tense and she shrugged Vex's arm from her shoulder, "the only thing people are going to talk about is how a piss-poor mesmer got himself torn apart because he couldn't stop that flabbering thing above his chin from running off."

"Now I can understand why Bo is shacking up with you, it must be a real riot," he smirked and rested his hand against the top of the truck whilst looking at the blonde, "don't suppose you've ever fancied a quickie with-"

Before Vex even finished that question, Tamsin's knee had risen and connected directly into his groin. He was soon whistling a very different song as he was forced to hunch forward, now grabbing one hand to his pelvis, "-I'll take that as a no," he managed to say through a breathless gasp.

"Just get in the truck," the blonde shook her head and stepped around the crippled male so that she could open the door. Soon enough she was settling into the driver's seat, noticing that Kenzi was attempting to peer over her to see what on earth had happened to make the mesmer crouch down in the way that he was. Tamsin's eyes glanced across to the thief and then she looked forward as she slipped her keys into the small hold to start up the ignition, "I guess people still never learn...don't mess with a valkyrie."

* * *

Twenty five minutes later and Tamsin was regressing back into her thoughts of Bo whilst driving. Next to her Kenzi and Vex where chatting away over trivial topics, make-up, Fae things. Either way it hadn't been important enough to capture her attention. _'If this all goes to hell, what am I going to do?'_ She began to pose herself with serious questions, she had been putting them off ever since she discovered that the succubus was forced into the status of being human. At the time, she had been so naive in thinking that she would just save the day as usual, and that everything would work out fine. There would be no problem, Bo would be fine and she would have her powers returned to her by the very same evening.

How wrong the valkyrie had been.

Her predictions had backfired. Yes, there was a problem. No, Bo wasn't fine. And no, Bo most certainly did _not_ have her powers back yet.

Nothing could be assumed anymore. For all she knew, there was the highest chance that this witch was going to use a lot of cunning tricks to avoid being caught or killed. Now that she had stolen succubi abilities, one touch and it could be over. So in that sense, the detective applauded Kenzi's initiative to call the mesmer in. Hopefully it would make a difference to them.

_'If she dies, I might as well die myself...'_ the blonde continued her inner debate as her mind raced to the deeper recesses of pain and despair, _'but what about Kenzi? She'll need someone around to take care of her,'_ glancing across to the girl in the middle, she saw that she was still in an engaging talk with Vex, _'am I supposed to live on and keep her safe, if Bo dies?'_ Clearing her throat, she drew her sights back to the front, paying an unconscious focus to the empty road that the truck was trudging along. She was faced with a lot of difficult choices and right now they were starting to swarm her all at once. It started to give her quite the unwelcome headache. _'And what if Bo survives? That doesn't change the fact that I'm going to expire soon, either way...one of us isn't going to be around for much longer.'_

Again, the intervention of fate was so horrible like that. What it gave with one hand, it stripped away with the other.

_'Hopefully I'll be the one that goes, I don't want her to have to suffer, a world without Bo Dennis...well, that wouldn't be a world at all.'_ Before the valkyrie could sink further into more harmful notions, she was drawn out of the morbid place when she felt Kenzi's chin resting upon her shoulder. It made her pause and her eyes darted to the side.

"Hey, you were lost again, weren't you?" The girl asked in her small voice of friendliness, "wanna talk about it?"

"I'd rather not bore you with the details," Tamsin granted an act of mercy, "I just want to focus on getting your best friend back up on her feet." She believed that her burdens were hers to bear alone. Tying someone else down with her wouldn't be fair. She wasn't weak, she could deal with it all by herself, she had done it for a long time now.

"Everything will be alright, we'll save Bo and then we can all live happily ever after, I'd say it's the least we deserve," the thief tried to smile as she kept her sights purely on the blonde driver, "you've faced long odds before."

"...I have, but a large part of that was thanks to Bo, when she was around...she was like my good luck charm. I wouldn't lose, but she's not here anymore."

"Then let me be your good luck charm instead, blondie," Kenzi suggested as she cuddled around the detective's arm, leaving her to hold the steering wheel with just one hand, "I'm the closest thing to Bo after all."

At the other side of the vehicle, the mesmer was tilting his head back against the seat and scoffing at the roof, "you women and your sentimental speeches, my word. Y'might as well confess your undying love for each other right now, spare me from the long and unwanted drabble of the whole 'I'll be your lucky charm' sob story."

"Vex, DUDE, seriously? I am never going to give your your blush brush back if you don't zip it," Kenzi glared across her shoulder at the smirking male, "I called you in here to help, not to make life twice as hard."

"What can I say, it's a gift."

The valkyrie was willing herself not to cause further arguments by rebelling against everything said by the mesmer, she exhaled slowly, "let me ask you, why did you come to help us out? Don't tell me you actually have a soft spot in your sadistic little heart?"

"Pot calling kettle, sweetheart, aren't you the one who is all tears and fears over a former unaligned succubus?"

Tamsin took a deadly silence for seconds as she became a victim to her own smarmy statement, but she soon rebounded, "fine, we've established that I care for Bo. Those are _my_ reasons though, I want to know what _yours_ are."

"I was in the passing neighborhood, thought it'd be nice to swing by and see the old gang again. Besides, I suppose I owe Kenzi a debt for nearly getting her killed in that bloody parasite mess."

The thief's frown softened and her lips curled into a grin as she looked at the male, "oh come on, you don't have to brood about it, we're all friends here. God, is it a Dark Fae thing? Neither of the two of you can just say the word 'friend' can you? At least you've got something in common." It was after speaking that Kenzi was struck by the revelation that she was sat in between two people who were both very dangerous and at one point showed an allegiance to The Morrígan. And yet, here she was, talking to them as freely as she wanted without any worries over getting herself hurt. Life worked in strange ways, because she had a feeling that these supposed Dark Fae next to her would go out of their way to protect her. Probably the valkyrie more so, but still, it was something poetic to consider.

"Here we are," Tamsin broke away from the current discussion as she slammed her foot down onto the break, "this is the area where most of the victims have been found, our witch must live close by." Going into no further detail, she was already departing from the parked truck and stepping out into the desolate street. Like her travels before, she was back in the more 'run down' section of the town. It would be the perfect place for killings or abductions to take place. The sun had commenced in setting half an hour beforehand, so it gave them limited daylight left.

"Why do we always end up in the creepsville part of town?" Kenzi groaned and followed the mesmer out of the vehicle, making sure to close the door behind her. She was used to dealing with a lot of nasty situations, but locations were never something she was keen on. Being in a street that could resemble a ghost town was what she hated most - making going undercover for 'college' a very close second.

"Oh relax, you've got an armed mesmer and an emotional valkyrie with you, what's the worst that can happen?" Vex questioned aloud, holding his hands out to the side while he walked, as an emphasis of his cool nature toward everything.

Tamsin's nose scrunched when the term 'emotional' was being applied to her, _'geez, I shed a few lousy tears and now the world will never let it go.'_ During her point as lead, she frowned lightly and looked back across to the male, "tyrannical would have been more appropriate, but whatever, mesmers aren't famous for their intelligent choice of words."

"There you go, wounding my poor heart again, you're as cold as ice," the male gave out an equal comment as he continued to pace along the empty sidewalk. His slated eyes were monitoring both left and right as he tried to spy which location he believed would be the most accurate.

Walking between the pair, again, the thief wasn't sure how they were able to exist without tearing each other to pieces. "You two are acting like a couple of bickering siblings, can't you just stop butting heads until we get life back on track? Or do I have to order you both to stay put in the truck while I deal with this myself?"

"Miss High and Mighty started it," Vex accused in a mumbled, acting just as childishly as Kenzi had stated.

The valkyrie's hand tightened down by her side as her agitation increased by a level or two, "I did not."

"Tamsin, Vex, please," Kenzi implored as she slapped her hand against her forehead, praying that she wouldn't have to put up with this Fae squabbling forever, "focus."

"Fine." Both stubbornists had agreed simultaneously, and with reluctance.

With that, the thief didn't see it fit to add anything else onto the current topic of conversation, so she moved onto the issue at hand, "so, where do you think this witchy woman lives? There are dozens of houses around, I kinda wish the D-man was here, at least he could sense Fae in the surrounding area." Perhaps her words were stringing on longer than was first intended. While walking in the middle of the two other figures, she kept her attention as sharp to detail as she could. A lot of the buildings that were passed by appeared to be ramshackle and neglected. Some lights shone through the windows of a few houses, which was expected seeing as how it was growing darker in the evening.

The valkyrie's subconscious had retreated back to fretting over Bo's condition, _'maybe it was wrong that I left her side...if she passes away and I'm not there for her...NO. No, stop thinking like this, Tamsin, you're killing yourself here. You can fix this mess, there's still time.'_ It was a good thing that her path was free from walls, otherwise she would have been walking into several of them by this stage. Every time that she thought about the possibility of the brunette suffering or dying, she felt ill to the core. It really wasn't a pleasant time in her life. She lost track of how many minutes of traveling had gone by throughout her duration of losing herself to her own paranoid notions of how the future might play out. The three of them could have passed two houses, they could have passed twenty, either way, she was totally unaware.

"Well, lookie, lookie, what do we have here?" The mesmer's voice perked up confidently as he sped up his pace to a particular house at the outskirt of the street itself. Judging by his wiles, he must have believed that he was onto something. "Nothing quite says 'witch' like a haunted manor in need of some serious decor experts...and a pentagram insignia on the bleedin' letterbox," he pointed his thumb out to the building, which did happen to appear as though it had belonged in the seventeenth century, or some other era a long time ago.

Kenzi began to mentally curse over the image of the large home which they were now approaching, "we really need to get paid for doing all of this scary shit, right? I mean, I don't want to get thrown into some cauldron for the sake of no reward."

"I believe the reward is saving Bo," Tamsin came out of her silent bout and altered her position until she was now standing between both darker hair figures, "now both of you soldier-up and lets get this over with, we're not turning back," she placed a hand to each of their backs and began to march forward, pushing them along. Of the three, she had the least amount of fear when it came to delving into potential danger, anyone would be able to guess that.

"Doesn't this seem too easy? A witch, a big house? Suddenly we find her? I am the only one thinking that this is a bad idea?" Kenzi asked as she ascended the four steps until she was at the large wooden door. Even the metal handles were crafted and shaped in the medieval era.

"Of course it's a bloody bad idea," the mesmer rolled his eyes, speaking nonchalantly as always, "but where is the fun in life without a little danger, eh?"

Tamsin made a point of brushing forward so that she could take the point of leader again, "she probably knows that we were going to track her down eventually, I'm willing to bet that this is her place of residence...so keep your wits about you, she could have traps wired around."

"And this is supposed to help me calm down...how?" The thief had gone a little paler from the dread she was experiencing, although there wasn't much else she could do when the valkyrie had twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

Once the blonde had taken the role of commander and shephereded into the foyer, she squinted her eyes to adjust to the gloomy atmosphere inside. She assumed that it wouldn't have been so deserted, but then again, walking into a friendly environment was equally as naive. The lighting was dim and cobwebs were idle along the majority of furniture and other items of display to be seen.

"Why didn't I just wait outside," the younger girl groaned quietly and stayed as close as she could to the detective, "even the Scooby gang wouldn't attempt a stunt like this."

No sooner did she speak, there was a sudden slam from the door behind them. Vex was the first to snap a look over his shoulder, seeing nothing behind him, "bloomin' witches and their tricks," he complained in a low mutter to himself. He hadn't physically touched the door, which meant that it had closed on it's own accord - well at least that gave more likeliness that the crone was within the building, using her magic to her advantage. "Lets get down to business, shall we?" The mesmer pushed ahead, intending to make his way along the empty corridor in front of them, however the moment he reached his seventh step, a small 'click' sounded.

Above anything else, Tamsin's reaction was to grab a hold of Vex's shoulder so that she could yank him to one side. Her timing couldn't have been more fortunate as an arrow bolt came flying from the opposite end of the hallway, piercing into the dusty picture an inch or two from the male's neck. The detective lowered her sights to the rug below and she then ushered her foot against the material to shunt it over to the side, "you stepped on a pressure plate," she explained when seeing the square of flooring which was indented a little further into the ground - where the mesmer had obviously stepped. "I told you, this place could be rigged, you have to be more careful."

Vex was so overcome with shock that he fought to muster up a reply, mainly he was focused on rubbing the side of his throat that could have been ripped open were it not for the valkyrie's precision, "right, well, cheers for that."

The blonde nodded her head once to acknowledge the gratitude and then she ventured onward along the hallway, reaching her hand back to take a hold of Kenzi's wrist so that she could guide her along, "don't touch anything, and don't wander off alone, the last thing we need is a split up. And Vex, since you and I are built for this, I expect you to keep two eyes on the kid."

"Hey, this _'kid'_ is more capable than you think," Kenzi mumbled stubbornly, yet her voice lacked the same enthusiasm given that she was too concerned with looking left and right. The temperature within the building was like being in a freezer, whenever she breathed, she could see the exhale of a small mist in front of her lips. Winter was already here in the house, clearly.

So far, they had passed by the study and the living area and when reaching the staircase, a sort of crossroads was reached. There were three possible options to take; the steps which led to the second floor, the door which more than likely led to the basement, or another corridor to the left which branched off to the kitchen and pantry. The valkyrie was trying to consider which route was best, although in any case, she knew that the whole building should be searched top to bottom for any clues as to how to retrieve Bo's succubus powers. "Any preference on which way we go?"

"Well," Kenzi prolonged the word as she let the thoughts run through her mind, although the second that she saw a spider scurrying along the wooden floorboards, she just about jumped into the blonde's arms, "upstairs, we should go upstairs!"

"Alright," the detective's eyebrow rose when she realized how tightly the girl was clinging onto her, "so let me get this straight, you can hunt a dangerous witch, but a tiny eight legged critter scares you?"

"It doesn't scare me...I...I was just moving out of the way so I didn't stand in it's path, it's not like I wanted to step on it," the thief made up an excuse as quickly as she could, but she could judge that from the blonde's expression that it wasn't convincing, "oh, don't give me that look Miss I'm-Too-Scared-To-Say-The-Word-Friend."

"How about you take your spider friend home as a pet?" The valkyrie returned her verbal jab through a simple set of words.

The battle had been decided when Kenzi shook her head, "uh, no thank you, lets just keep moving," her tone became quiet as she let the detective be the first to ascend the steps. And as usual, she stayed closely behind, letting her hand lower to take Tamsin's. Maybe it did prove that she was intimidated, but it was also better evidence that she felt safest when with the other woman.

Vex also prepared to follow on, however, at the last possible second, a glimmer from the next room caught his attention. Tipping his head to the left, he eyed a rather rare looking bottle of whiskey. The very idea that it was in a stoneware flagon was an easy incentive for him to avert his focus away from the mission. "Well, 'ello, 'ello, what do we have here...?" His question was posed only to himself as he stepped away from the staircase and proceeded to wander into the lounge where the drink had been taunting him from, "I bet that old sod Trick doesn't stock this beauty in his wares." Apparently, his span for concentration wasn't as in tact as it should have been considering the threatening circumstances. But, he could never pass up the opportunity to let a good beverage go to waste.

Meanwhile, the two females had reached the second floor. It was just as abandoned and daunting as the rest of the building, not to mention there was another problem with lighting. The glass bulbs within the chandeliers overhead were constantly flickering. Tamsin had considered calling out to goad the hidden witch, although she didn't want to take that risk, purely because she had others with her that she needed to protect. Were she on her own, she wouldn't have been so considerate. So, it was probably a good thing that no one was screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Okay, it's a lot darker up here, so mind your step, mesmer," Tamsin felt as though she had given a clear warning, yet the lack of acknowledgement was what bothered her, "Vex?" As she spun around to look along the way that she and Kenzi had been walking along, she didn't see the male in question. Instantly, her blood boiled, "you have got to be kidding me...I'm going to kick his stupid ass for wandering off."

The younger female could sense the building frustration from the blonde, so she gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "hey, don't blow a bolt, maybe he is just checking out one of the rooms we passed," releasing her hold, she turned in the opposite direction and paced to a doorway which they had journeyed by no more than eight seconds ago. "Yo, Vexmiester, are you in here?" Kenzi's question couldn't have been clearer as she stepped into the room.

Though, like before, the door ended up blowing shut behind her.

Tamsin raced across the floor in half the time, alarmed. She grasped at the handle, trying to twist one way, and when that didn't work, she attempted the opposite, "Kenzi!" Smacking her other palm into the wooden and now-mysteriously locked door, she was adopting a habit of not being answered, "Kenzi, can you hear me? The door has locked itself. Kenzi?"

Great, now not only had she lost the mesmer, but the thief was blocked off from her also.

"Why don't you give up with your games, witch, are you frightened?" Finally, the valkyrie was pushed to the point where she did begin to call out loudly. Her voice echoed through the hall and she pounded her fist against the door in front of her once more. Her priority was getting access into the locked room so that she could reunite with the young human girl. She needed something to break it down with, if possible, "hold on Kenzi, I'm on my way," she vowed, although she still had no idea whether some magical soundproof enchantment was at work. It was her only explanation as to why she didn't get any response. Tamsin twisted and trooped along the corridor, paying heed to her surroundings so that she didn't end up setting off anymore traps. Her eyes were scanning everything that she passed, up and down, but sadly, glass vases and broken picture frames wouldn't be enough to break a door from it's hinges. During her walk, she shouted on Vex two or three times, but it had gotten to the stage where the lack of witty remark from his voice concerned her.

The valkyrie chose to enter the next room she came to, which happened to be none other than a bedchamber, with a blazing fireplace at the far side. Her eyebrow quirked in suspicion as she took a cautious step forward. But she soon caught a glimpse of a female figure standing by the window and she froze stiff, like a deer caught in headlights.

Unable to stop herself, the name fell from her lips before she had a chance to stop it, "Bo?"

She would never mistake the person she saw in front of her, at least not from the offset appearance. Because right now, the woman turning to face her was the spitting image of the brunette. The blonde's eyes were wide in confusion, _'this is impossible, she can't be here...she's with Lauren and Dyson right now.'_

"Hey Tamsin," the other woman began to smile, speaking in a soft voice while she stood away from the webbed glass pane in order to advance closer to the detective, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have," the blonde noticed that the distance was closing and so she took a careful step to the side, "you are some twisted illusion, you're _not_ Bo."

"Tamsin, what's wrong with you? Of course I'm Bo," the brunette was attempting to laugh off the words as she resumed walking to the valkyrie, her entire demeanor was terrifyingly gentle, "it's me."

_'This isn't happening,'_ Tamsin closed her eyes tightly for a whole three seconds, swallowing back a hard lump, willing the image of the woman to disappear. Despite her determined efforts, when she had the courage to look again, she accomplished nothing. The smiling brunette was still very much in the same room, gaining a nearer proximity. "You aren't Bo, she is too busy dying, she's not even awake right now. You're just... you're in my head, you are some cheap ass trick."

Again, the other female only released a chuckle, stretching a friendly hand out, but to her surprise, the blonde just jumped back from reach, "Tamsin, will you stop acting so childish, I'm not going to hurt you, I would never do that."

"God, stop saying my name like _that_," the valkyrie groaned and brought her hand to rest over her forehead. She knew that this was either the sorceress' doing, or she was making this all up in her head, but the scary part was that if was able to affect her this much. For hours she had prattled on and sobbed over how she only wanted Bo...

...and now look who was standing in front of her, cheerful and definitely not suffering from a deadly virus.

Her frantic protests continued as she paced side to side, glowering at the calm female, "you aren't real, you're just in my head," she seemed to be pondering whether or not she was saying the right thing. The more she looked at the brunette, the worse she felt. Cold shivers were scattering all across her spine. This little complication was not exactly what she had hoped for when she volunteered herself to help the thief and the mesmer.

"Now you're just being ridiculous," the woman took the blonde's hesitation as an opportunity to move in front of her, "I'm not some figment of your imagination, I'm not an illusion, I am very real," she concluded and brought her hand to cup against the valkyrie's cheek, "see?"

_'Why is she touching me...? How can that be possible...?'_ Tamsin's face was distraught from the horror of having the woman in physical contact with her. It blew her theories out of the window and made her second guess herself. "What _are_ you?"

"Well, some people call me a succubus, but I like to be known as the woman you love," the brunette murmured through a voice of playful teasing as she leaned in, "it's me, Tamsin, lets just stay here for a while."

The valkyrie started to lose all feeling from the kneecaps down when she saw that a set of lips were subtly moving closer to her own. She was stuck, unable to get away, but then were she let her sights descend, she perceived that the pendant she gave Bo was nowhere to be seen. _'She said that she would never take it off.'_

In the space of the next nanosecond, the revelation hit Tamsin like a ton of bricks, "liar!" she snapped and raised both hands before she gave an offensive shove back to the woman, "this is magic, this is all magic!" When she tried to compose herself, her recognition was otherwise occupied on the way that the female's form undertook a transformation; morphing from Bo's beautiful features and revealing herself to be the same old crone who had been the source of this whole problem from the beginning.

"Impressive, not many people can break free once I have caught them up in my apparition," the witch's tone had become sinister as she stared across to the angered blonde.

"Well, if my love for Bo is strong enough to ruin your illusions then I consider this a good day," Tamsin was struggling to restrain herself from lunging at the woman in order to strangle her to death, "you on the other hand...oh, you're about to have the worst day imaginable. I'm going to tear you apart, limb by limb. You stole Bo's powers, you passed on your damn virus to her and now you have the nerve to try and wear her face in front of me. Unforgivable."

"A valkyrie in love, is there anything more tragic in the world?"

"What poison are you blabbering about now, crone?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you are on your way to expiry, it is your destiny, saving the succubus is a waste of time for a woman who is already in the process of dying herself."

"I believe in survival, not destiny, if the Moirai think they can cut Bo's thread of life, then they've got another thing coming," the valkyrie's ambiance spun to the usual ferocity as she stormed forward, "I would defy the Gods to keep her safe, I would defy fate and I'd sure as hell defy some silly little witch who steals whatever powers she can get her grubby hands on."

The wretched woman started to back up, straining to keep the strong smirk on her lips, "as a person who believes in survival, I would think that you would understand the importance of self preservation. Stealing your lover's abilities has been successful to expand my life."

"But at the expense of hers, you're going to be coughing up those powers, either you surrender willingly, or I'll chop your legs off and haul you back to the good doctor, please...ask me if I'm bluffing," the detective grasped a hold of the female by the front of her shirt, tugging her up until she had trouble standing on her toes.

Perhaps the move had been too sudden, Tamsin's outburst caused her to forget one important detail. The female's hand made a sudden grip at her throat and when her irises started to shine in that blue way, she realized that she was about to become a feed. Hastily, she slackened her grip and shoved the witch back.

"Ah, so, you do have your concerns, I thought you would have been used to being a pet to a succubus by now," the female sneered in a sense of victory as she gave a slash forward with her hand. Her brazen nails scratched along the blonde's arm, ripping into the material and the first layer of flesh beneath.

Tamsin winced and wrenched her bleeding limb back, "well you aren't a succubus, you're nothing more than a fraud," her fingers curled into a tight fist and she made no pause to throw it forward in a straight punch.

But...

Moments into the action, the witch used her cunning and manipulated her physical form until she had once more changed herself into looking like Bo.

Swiftly, the valkyrie was stopping herself, pulling herself back so that she was no longer aiming to strike the female. As much as she hated it, she was only revealing her own weakness.

"What's wrong? Where did all of that fire go?" The witch was grinning from ear to ear as she straightened her posture into one of a renewed confidence, "don't tell me that you can't bring yourself to strike this pretty face?"

"Change back," the blonde beseeched, scowling, there was no way that she could bring herself to hit the crone when she was taking on Bo's image. It was a psychological blockade that she was never going to get past.

"Why would I do that? This is turning out more advantageous than I first imagined, luring you here was one thing...but seeing your puppy eyes when I look like your dearly beloved is the cherry on top of everything." When she saw that the valkyrie was still hesitant, she surged forward and grabbed a hold her jacket, pulling her inward.

"Don't get too cocky, I won't need to raise a hand to you, your pesky heart problem will kill you all by itself," the blonde averted her gaze to look upwards, she couldn't look into the female's hazel eyes right now. It was too much. The witch wasn't Bo - but thanks to her damn magic she looked like her. That was the hard part. "Unless you drag your sorry ass back to the medical facility, then the doctor might be able to use you to find a cure."

"How convenient that would be for you. You bring me in, find a cure, save your pretty lady friend and then what? You kill me as slowly and as painfully as you can?"

"That would be the general idea, you're going to die anyway, at least give yourself the decency of dying at the hands of a valkyrie. There's no greater reaper."

A chuckle escaped from the other female as she clasped her fingertips against the detective's jaw and yanked her face back down, "I'll let you in on a little secret, I am not going to die."

Tamsin returned to giving her usual frown as she was forced to look at the brunette, "sorry to disappoint you, but those succubus powers won't cure your virus, they'll just help to keep you from dying for a little while longer."

"Silly girl, I wasn't talking about your lover's talents to save me, I have found another way."

"What other way?"

"It turns out that you are quite the bargaining chip, sweet valkyrie," the witch grazed her nail along the blonde's jaw, roughly.

"You're not making any sense, what the hell are you talking about?" Tamsin's jerked her head away from the unwanted contact, speaking through a set of clenched teeth. She brought her hands to the woman's shoulders and gave her a small, albeit, forceful push back to break away from the connection.

Still, the female's didn't let her illusion of using Bo's appearance falter; it was the only reason as to why the detective wasn't reigning torment down upon her. "I made a deal with The Morrígan, you remember her don't you?"

The valkyrie's bitter expression dropped to a reaction of decreasing hope and trepidation, "what? What kind of deal?"

"She promised me that she would use her resources to find me a cure in exchange for _you._ I knew that you wouldn't be able to resist hunting me down to save Bo, so I made my own tracks easy for you to follow."

"You did...WHAT!? Are you an idiot? There is no way that The Morrígan is going to stay true to her word, she is playing you, you fool," Tamsin's agenda was filled with another new problem, it was no secret that the Dark Fae's leader hated Bo which was a sure way to make the valkyrie's own chances...not that great.

"We will see who the fool is in..." as the witch tipped her head to look at the grandfather clock by the door, a delighted sigh left from her, "...five, no, four minutes now."

Having followed the gaze of the sorceress, the blonde's heart clenched when she saw the pendulum swinging back and forth, "and what about my friends? Were they part of this bargain?"

"The mesmer will be worth something, but as for the scared little goth girl...she is expendable."

"You bitch!" Tamsin couldn't function properly anymore, so she began to backtrack as fast as she could from the room and into the hallway behind, "Vex!" she yelled as loud as she possibly could until her throat burned at the back, "Vex!"

Unlike before, her call gained her some recognition as she could hear a set of steps rushing from the staircase. The sound became closer and closer, until the same distinct voice could be heard, "yeah, yeah, don't get your knickers in a bunch blondie," the mesmer nearly finished his words as he came to the doorway, holding the refined flagon in his hand, "Mister Ballantine and I were just getting-" about to say 'reacquainted', he stopped when his gaze found the unexpected form of the brunette behind the valkyrie, "-Bo? 'ave I missed something?"

"That is NOT Bo, it's the witch, she's using trickery," the blonde rushed her explanation as speedily as she could, "I can't fight her when she looks like that, do whatever you have to, we can't stick around here."

"Relax, I can handle this, here have a drink," the male responded casually as he held the bottle out to the edged detective by his side.

"She's sold us over to The Morrígan, you jackass," Tamsin reacted by slapping the expensive drink away until it shattered on the nearby wall.

"Bollocks, you might've mentioned that sooner." Beginning to raise his hand, Vex's mood was suddenly drained to that of exasperation.

"We need to be out of here in two minutes. You mangle the witch-bitch, I'll find Kenzi."

"Done."

Tamsin allowed the mesmer space to deal with the witch while she exited from the room, it wasn't as if she could do anything of use until she was dealing with the actual 'crone' instead of an illusion of the woman she loved. She made a point of grabbing up an ornamental statue which was displayed outside of the same room. Afterwards, she rushed back along to the same door which she had last seen the younger human girl at. She brought the bottom of the weighted statue into the handle, again, and again, using more force with each strike. _'So that's why the witch separated us, to stall time until The Morrígan arrived, what a crafty harlot,'_ she was now annoyed with herself for wasting so much time. She shouldn't have delayed, even regardless of how the crone had taken on Bo's image, she should have done something more. Her hesitation could cost the three of them their lives. If they didn't get out of here, the brunette was never going to receive a cure. Perfect.

This day just kept getting worse.

On the fifth attempt of her hitting spree, a clank sounded as the handle broke away from the door and clattered to the ground. Not a second later and the valkyrie was throwing her foot into the wooden frame until she kicked it open all the way. Her lips parted so she could shout the girl's name, but by the time she had entered the room, she could already see that she was laying on the ground, immobile, "Kenzi!?" The blonde's voice became urgent as she raced across the small distance so that she could crouch next to the thief, on instinct she brought her fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse.

She found one, thankfully.

"Kenzi, hey, wake up...can you hear me?" She made more attempts as she rested her hands against the female's cheeks, giving a soft pat, "come on kid, you need to get up."

The thief began to groan lightly and her body squirmed a little as she started to come back into reality again. She was trying to open her eyelids, propping onto her elbows while doing so, "Tamsin? What happened?"

"When you wandered into the room, the witch used her magic to lock the door behind you, I tried calling out, but you didn't answer. Are you hurt? How did you end up on the floor like this?" The blonde's questions continued as she slid her arms around the human girl, assisting her back up to her feet. The rush of the movement caused Kenzi to stumble, but Tamsin was adamant in keeping her balanced.

"No, I'm fine...I just remember that I walked in here and...and then I felt really tired, the next thing I knew I was on the floor," the girl closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the detective's shoulder, "man, this feels worse than a hangover."

Already, the valkyrie had cast a glance to the door and made her way in the direction of the hallway so that they didn't have to spend a moment longer in the room, "I reckon that a sleeping hex was laced around the room, you must have triggered it off when you came in."

"Dude, I so used to love Hocus Pocus, but now I hope that I'll never see a crazy ass wiccan again, please tell me that you found Vex?"

"I did, he is dealing with our little friend, but listen to me Kenzi, this was a set-up, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"A set-up? What do you mean?"

Tamsin inhaled slowly as she prepared to take a step out and into the hallway, "well, lets just say that-"

Her words never finished by the time she reached the corridor, mainly because she heard an all too familiar set of heeled steps approaching from the left side. She didn't have to be a genius to work out who they belonged too, nor the sickly sweet voice that followed; "_Hello darling_."

If The Morrígan was already here, it scuppered all of their chances.

Kenzi's eyes were the first to dart across to the smug female, noticing that she had a small handful of henchmen standing behind her, "oh crap."

The valkyrie could sense the thief's distress immediately, so she positioned herself a little in front of her while she glared over to the esteemed leader of the Dark Fae, "fancy meeting a skank like you in a place like this."

"Oh," The Morrígan's head tipped back so that she could chuckle in all her glory, "is that any way to greet an old friend? Such a frosty tone."

"I hear that you're dealing with witches now? My, how degrading that must be, going through so much trouble, I'm surprised you haven't chipped a nail," while answering as snidely as feasible, the blonde's hand was reaching back to the waistband of her jeans, where her trusty gun always resided.

"And I hear that the succubitch has joined humanity and is in the process of...dying? How wonderful, it turns out that I don't even have to lift a finger, I can sit back and enjoy the glorious show," the darker haired female started to smile in that sinister way of hers, "you however, you are a very different case."

"Stop, please, you are giving me chills," the detective countered with her own sarcasm.

"Uh-uh, I wouldn't reach for that gun if I were you," The Morrígan rested her hands on her hips, nodding her head forward once. Her action was less of an action and more of an order. The three or four men that were by her side happened to raise their own sidearms, like perfect little soldiers, "you used to be such a smart girl, I hope you can do the math. You are outnumbered."

At the true words spoken, Tamsin's efforts stopped, much to her personal displeasure, "so you came with a whole team, don't tell me you're too frightened to take me on yourself?"

"Fortunately, unlike you, I have always retained a sufficient intelligence, I couldn't afford having you use those pesky little doubt tricks of yours now, could I?"

"Hm, worried that I'd win, huh?"

"Just cautious."

Amidst the conversation, the blonde made sure to keep the attention solely on her discussion with the other woman. However, it was a double purpose as she could feel Kenzi's hand raising to the back of her jeans, subtly taking out the gun which she failed, herself, at retrieving earlier. Tamsin was able to smirk, just slightly, at the fact that the younger girl was no longer unarmed.

The small silence that began to birth was cut short due to the crashing sound from behind. The valkyrie's eye narrowed and she stared in the direction of the noise, overcome with more unwanted distaste to see that the mesmer was being pushed out in the hallway - held hostage with one of The Morrígan's men holding a gun to his neck. Only a pace or two behind the old witch was following, she happened to look like her former self compared to Bo now, which made life just a tad easier for Tamsin.

"Well, what do we have here?" The dark haired woman's grin suddenly became menacing with her twisted joy over seeing the unexpected male, "two of my favorite people for the price of one? Life is _good_."

"Oh, sod off," Vex spoke sotto voce, rolling his eyes at this little reunion which he would have preferred to have avoided. Although when he felt the barrel of the gun jamming harder into his neck, he winced, bringing his sights over to the blonde, "I was in the middle of ruining the witch when this wanker here pulled a gun on me from behind, bloody coward."

Tamsin could understand the reasons and so gave a small nod before she looked back across to the other woman. Somehow everything felt utterly uneasy.

The crone stepped forward, beginning to regain some of her lost credence, "I've delivered the valkyrie as promised, and the mesmer is all yours too, I trust that you've kept up your end of the bargain? I want a cure for this festering virus."

No further words were spoken for the time being, and Tamsin assumed that was due to the false pretense of this arrangement. She tilted her head, exchanging a look with the mesmer. He appeared to be thinking along the same lines, judging by the expression of little conviction across his face. If anything, he appeared to be bored, as if he wished this show would be on it's way.

"You've served me well," The Morrígan crossed her arms behind her back, keeping an aura of superiority around her, "I'll take the valkyrie and the mesmer."

"And my cure...?" The witch pressed further with her question, "we had an agreement."

"Oh, yes...so we did," the other female's voice became droll and deadpan as she signaled over to one of the men by her side, "kill the hag and the human girl."

He responded immediately and pulled the trigger on his gun which sent a shot straight at the crone. The bullet hit somewhere in her torso, which caused her to topple down to the ground, groaning and wailing aloud. There was no way in the world that Tamsin planned on letting Kenzi die today, so she continued to stand in front of her, acting as an irremovable shield. No doubt the girl was panicking by now. It was her life on the line here. And as the same henchman began to drift his gun in the goth's direction, the valkyrie shook her head, "no, wait, don't kill Kenzi, just let her go, this business is between us."

"Out of the way, Tamsin, now is no time for your heroics, I won't repeat myself," The Morrígan commanded whilst her eyes narrowed in curiosity to see how the detective was going to react. She didn't happen to be in a bargaining mood as was proven with the way that she had used the witch for her own selfish and sadistic means.

When the blonde refused to move from her current position, the other female gave another tip from her head.

A second bang sounded.

This time, the bullet lunged directly into the valkyrie's shoulder which caused her to stagger back, gasping sharply. She clutched her hand over the open wound as fast as she could in order to stop the blood from gushing out. Vex inched forward, as if he was preparing to offer assistance, but then he only wound up feeling the gun press tighter into his own neck. In other words, it stripped away his chance of getting involved.

Kenzi's eyes were wide in alarm as she tried to support her hands against Tamsin's sides, but the injured detective was still far too stubborn to refuse moving.

"Oh, come now, surely you aren't going to risk your life over one little girl?" The Morrígan began to give a degrading chuckle. As far as she was concerned, she had already won this game.

"She is my **friend!**" Tamsin snapped back fiercely as she pushed past the searing pain from her shoulder, being shot wasn't a part of her agenda, but nevertheless it had happened. So she would deal. Her breathing was laboring as she tried to structure a plan in her mind. Tilting her head slightly, she glanced back at the younger female through her peripheral vision, "Kenzi, I want you to count to three and then run, I'll buy you some time," she ordered through a quieter voice.

"Tamsin, are you crazy, I'm not going to just leave you - no way," Kenzi's voice cracked halfway through, due to fear mainly.

"If you stay, you'll die, Vex and I can handle ourselves."

"But what about Bo? She's going to die..."

The blonde cringed when she heard those words, but for a second her gaze flickered to the crone laying on the floor, and then back to the thief, "maybe not, I don't think the bullet killed the witch. You'll have to run out of here, and once we're gone, double back, jam the gun against her head and force her back to the medical facility with you. Got it?"

"I'm...this is...Tamsin-"

"_One_..." The valkyrie skipped needless delay and started with the first number.

Kenzi counted the rest in her head; her heart speeding as wildly as a derailed train.

Two.

Three.

Upon the third second coming to pass, the blonde gave a wink to Kenzi. And as soon as she did, her eyes darkened considerably and her expression shifted into the form of her valkyrie side as she suddenly glared in the opposite direction. Stretching her good arm back, she placed her hand to the girl's chest and gave her a soft push for guidance on which way to go. The Morrígan was overcome with shock with Tamsin's latest reaction that it did happen to grant the faintest window of opportunity for escape.

Reluctantly, Kenzi took the chance and fled backwards to the staircase. For once in her life her steps were speedy and perfectly co-ordinated which took her half the time. She was willing herself not to trip and she was even more concerned that she would be shot in the back. Although, luckily, her faith in the blonde's plan was much stronger. One way or another she always knew that Tamsin would never let her down. She made it down the stairs after skipping two at a time and then she rushed to the front door. Only when she reached it did she finally hear the echo of gunshots in the background. The noise was coming from the floor she'd just left, so naturally a feeling of pure dread welled in her heart. What if Tamsin had been hit again? Or Vex?

This was why she hated being human; helplessness.

Her friends always got hurt because of her and that was an unbearable weight upon her shoulders.

Kenzi let the blonde's order replay in her mind as a motivation for her to just haul the door open and run outside into the night air. Her world was filled with so many ironies and tragedies as of late. Now she had a chance to try and save her best friend, but she could lose two people she cared about over it.

When she got out of the horrid manor, she kept running.

She couldn't look back.

The thief would stick to Tamsin's plan - she would wait until The Morrígan had apprehended the two and taken them to her base of operations, probably - and then she'd return to deal with the witch herself.

* * *

First of all, oh goodness Lost Girl season 4 will dawn upon us in no time now...are you all as excited as I am? Our televisions/monitors will be blessed with Bo and Tamsin again, yay! xD

And on another note, I tried to deal with quite a lot in that chapter, the Vex/Tamsin almost sibling-like rivalry, the set-up involving The Morrígan, and now it is up to Kenzi to somehow save the day, especially since her two friends have been captured. What fun! I love tossing in twists for y'all! c:

I hope you've enjoyed the _slight_ action side of this chapter, and I'll be sure to try and get back into the Valkubus swing of things as soon as I can for all of you. (':

(Reviews! :D )

_DiamondsNtheskY_ - Oh, you like the song too!? Well that already makes you pretty damn awesome in my books! It's great to know that you like the band also, you obviously have an amazing taste in music my dear. ;)  
I'm flattered that you think I'm a music genius, hopefully in the future I'll reference more songs that you'll like too! c':

_Javlalebb_ - Why thank you so much, I'm ecstatic that it blew your mind, 'cause I really wanted to focus on Tamsin's emotions which is tricky to deal with because she is such a strong, strong, woman. xD  
I should really be the one thanking you, just knowing that you are always so kind to read and review the chapters is the greatest gift of all and I'm going to be eternally grateful to you for that. It's a blessing really! So I'm hoping to give you just as much entertainment with future updates! (':

_BSwifty1997_ - Awh, it warms my heart to know that you're so connected with the fanfic and the characters. It is absolutely amazing and I must thank you for being so kind to me all of the time, you're really and truly great! :']

_FlipChick23_ - No need to fear, Kenzi to the rescue! I have faith that she is somehow going to save the day! x'D

_LukeJames_ - Writing Tamsin's breakdown was so horrible, but I loved being able to express how much Bo means to her. She'll deserve a hell of a reward after all of the trouble she is going to, right? ;'D

_ValkuVauseQueen_ - I'm thrilled that you liked Vex's entrance. He's being a major pain in Tamsin's ass, but I'm sure that the two of them are friends on some level, it must just be a Dark Fae thing. Now that Kenzi is left to be the hero, I have no doubt she'll do whatever she can to make everything right. xD

_TheJojo99_ - Indeed she does, that is the beauty of love. It can make and break a person at the worst possible time, without Bo I suppose Tamsin can't cope well with a lot of things. She hates not being in control, or having the ability to save people she cares for. I'm sure as soon as Bo is awake, she won't be able to believe that her favorite valkyrie was reduced to a broken mess like that. :'D  
And definitely, I'm sure you can handle a Lost Girl-athon day like that! Oh, and absolutely, I'd love to hear about how awesome Zoie is! You'll have to tell me all about it when you can, it'll be superb! c':

_Purple-Ketchup_ - I'm so touched that you consider me one of the best! Now you've got me blushing over here...stahp! ;'D  
But seriously, you + writing = major happiness and overjoyous squealing from me.  
And again, thank you for the wonderful compliments! I strive so hard to stay true to Tamsin, and I've had a lot of fun involving Vex into things now, because the two of them are constantly getting on each others nerves. Gosh, it's like Kenzi has become a babysitter for the Dark Fae. x]  
I'm also hoping that Bo makes a speedy recovery, because she's obviously going to want to talk to Tamsin about her 'breakdown'. Fun, fun, fun. c':

_DelusionalDaydreams_ - Were it possible, I'd be giving you a HUGE hug right now, because your review was extremely sweet and I appreciate it so much. I love the fact that I have someone as awesome as you to read the fanfic, and it's even more incredible to know that you consider it your favorite! THANK YOU SO MUCH! XD

_bruubertolo_ - Oh, well, what can I say, I do happen to be quite proficient when it comes to CPR, after all...I seem to write about it in great detail, so practicing couldn't hurt. ;D  
Ah, darling, even handcuffs wouldn't restrain my charm, I can be very persuasive with words...especially when I'm acting as a good girl. x]  
I'm always pleased because you are such a pleasure to converse with. Whenever I finish writing a chapter, I always have an extra reward by being able to reply back to you, so yay! c':  
Why yes, I have noticed that you do happen to be quite the charmer yourself, which I think is very appealing.  
But I'm very glad you enjoyed the chapter - I'm sure that our Tamsin is going to bounce back twice as strong, she just needs Bo back. :'D

_Puppets' Master_ - Absolutely, you can always keep your super sidekick wife, so long as I can always keep you too!  
That's a fair deal, right? xD  
Why yes, I do believe you heard the word 'strip', it happens to slip from my vocabulary quite often these days. But, das ist gut, I'm glad that you won't let anything be stripped from you without consent. ;]  
Well I have to say, I do admire those two qualities; stubborness and pride can be so rare to find in a person these days. It's lovely to see that it exists somewhere. c':  
I won't pout just as long as I don't lose you, otherwise I'll be doomed to live miserably for the rest of eternity. ;D  
I find the innocence very attractive myself, it's very endearing, although I have to say, I do have a soft spot for people that share Tamsin's personality. It too can be awfully appealing at times. But yep, I do have my chaste moments in life...all of the time, I have a random tendency to blush easily, mwahah, so you're right, I'll have to embrace my inner Tamsin at some point or another! x']

_Elenadlm_ - Well, that is extremely kind of you! My day has just suddenly gotten a lot brighter, thank you for being wonderful enough to read/review the fanfic! I'll be sure to give you as many frequent updates as I can, darlin'! xD

_Ana_ - Hello there Ana, first of all, I just want to thank you for the long and beautifully written review. I wouldn't have minded if you'd written one the size of a book because I'm always more than happy to read what others think. I'm so glad to hear that you have watched Lost Girl and that you are enjoying it. It's a fanastic show, isn't it? And also, I'm even more thrilled to know that you have taken a shine to Bo and Tamsin's relationship. Much like yourself, I didn't 'ship' them because it was a female/female pairing, I honestly just believe that they are both so tragically perfect for one another. c':  
Tamsin needs someone as selfless as Bo, to teach her how to love and to be loved in return, a person to give her happiness and hope in life.  
And in return, Bo needs someone that is going to stay with her no matter what, someone who will be able to love for who she is without any complications. And you're absolutely right, the bath tub scene blew my mind when I first watched it, I was amazed that Bo never thought about talking to Tamsin about it afterwards, although I suppose she never really had the time.  
I'm so happy that you are getting enjoyment from reading the fanfic so far though! It's always such a wonderful thing to know, and I love the fact that you take the time to check during school breaks, it makes me wish that I could type twice as fast so that hopefully you'd have something to look forward to after a long day! :'D  
If I've captured your imagination and you gain happiness from reading the chapters, then I consider this entire fic to be a success already, because for me, personally, there is no greater reward than that. Thank you so much for everything you have written, it inspires me to a great extent.  
And don't you worry, I never plan to give up on this fanfiction, I'll keep writing until I literally drain my mind of imagination skills (but I'd never let that happen, so we're all good in that department!) if possible, I'd love nothing more than to give you 100+++++++++ chapters! xD  
I promise that I will always try to update for you as soon as I can, mainly because I hate to keep people waiting, and also, even though you may not review every chapter, I'm so thankful to have been able to read/respond to your amazing words this time around! It'll be a great boost to continue writing, knowing that you are going to be reading along! It's perfect! c':

_Quinntana2_ - Awh, let me just say that it is so sweet to see that you are religiously giving amazing reviews to the majority of the chapters that I've written. It always motivates me to continue writing as much as I can, because see the enjoyment that it gives you is such a great reward for me. It is absolutely perfect, and hopefully by the time you reach this specific chapter you'll be able to read this comment right here. After all, you deserve to know how grateful I am for how generous and wonderful you are to this fanfic! :'D


	23. The Price of Love and Loyalty

"He said 'I am the Devil, boy, come with me and we'll make many storms.'

He offered me the universe, but inside my heart, there's a picture of a girl.

Some call love a curse, some call love a thief, but she's my home.

And she's as much a part for this broken heart,

but see, broken bones always seem to mend."

- The Devil's Tears, _Angus and Julia Stone_

* * *

Uncertain as to how much time had passed since evading the large manor, Kenzi found herself entering through the back door of the house - after skillfully using her makeshift lockpick to open it. Being a thief came with many perks and she wasn't the type to ever be out of practice. The Morrígan had taken both Tamsin and Vex away at least eight minutes ago, leaving no hint or inclination as to where they would be going. Although, it did mean that the girl wasn't going to run into any unwanted surprises as she marched along the lower hallway. A couple of the ornaments were shattered on the floorboards which meant that the mesmer and the valkyrie must have shown a little resistance. Dark Fae were always too stubborn for their own good. Her gaze became deeper focused as she climbed the staircase whilst also gripping onto the gun in her hand. The safety was off and her index finger waited by the trigger. If one thing, this lifestyle had taught her never to be caught unprepared. She was on her own now, so Bo's fate was resting upon her shoulders. "That's right, when all hell starts to break loose...leave it up to the human, thanks a lot blondie," she whispered to herself as she turned the next corner after reaching the second floor.

Just as predicted, the witch's immobile body was still sprawled on the floor, where she had been shot earlier. Her chest was moving though, slowly and heavily, but the rate of breathing barely mattered. She was alive which meant that there was a chance to fix this entire mess. When it looked as if she was building the strength to sit up, Kenzi knew that it was time to take action.

"I wouldn't move a muscle if I were you," the girl threatened as she stormed closer, aiming the barrel of the gun down to the injured woman, "because of you The Morrígan has taken two of my friends hostage and my best buddy is playing way too close to the grim reaper right now. In other words, you better cough up the goodies Miss Magic."

"You are nothing more than a child," the crone coughed while proceeding to sit up, clasping one hand to the injury in her side to prevent the blood from continually seeping out, "why don't you put that thing down before you end up hurting yourself."

"Fat chance," Kenzi began to frown as she aired the front of the weapon inwards, applying more pressure to the trigger, "the only one that'll end up hurt is you, if you don't get off your ass and follow me. Bitch, you're so lucky that I haven't shot you already."

A crooked smirk crossed the witch's features and it seemed as though she was playing the stubborn card as she refused to move an inch, "ah, that's right it just so happens that you _need_ me, you are giving empty threats, you won't shoot me-"

Before the words finished, a sharp bang sounded.

Kenzi hadn't hesitated to squeeze the trigger, firing a single bullet into the other woman's thigh. She wasn't one for delving into violence, but she couldn't waste time playing 'nice' when so many lives were on the line. The crone was reduced to crying out in pain, clutching both hands to the new wound she had received for her insubordination to the girl's order. More blood was spurting out, but it was nothing fatal. Not compared to what it could have been.

"So, do you still think this _child_ is playing around?" The thief asked and flexed her finger lightly against the trigger to act as a warning that she wouldn't concern over repeating the same lesson. "I've got more bullets than you do body parts, just keep bad mouthing me and we'll see where this leads. Unless you grow an actual brain and listen to me."

Evidently the witch was in no position to argue, she began to curse the fact that the human was smart enough to keep at a reasonable distance from her, otherwise, she'd have surely made an attack by now. "It seems as though the cursed valkyrie has taught you well," she began to grumble in agony as she gripped onto the handle of the door next to her in order to pull herself up to her feet.

"Tamsin is my friend, she's hot headed at the best of times, but she has grown on me," Kenzi granted more of an answer was needed as she nodded her head forward to indicate for the crone to begin moving to the staircase, "where is The Morrígan going to take her?"

The witch merely rolled her eyes and obliged, making her way to the steps with a pace of heavy footing and limping. Towards the question, she shrugged her shoulders, "she never said, that wasn't a part of the deal. She could be taking your little friends to the edge of the earth for all I know."

"Did it ever occur to you that dealing with The Morrígan was a really shitty idea?" The thief kept her sight fixed solely upon the witch while they both made their descent to the ground floor. Between talking and walking, she continued to let the valkyrie's warning swirl in her head; this place was wired with small traps and hexes, so she made sure to let her eyes stray around to see if she was in any danger. So far, however, she assumed that she was fine. Plus, now that she had a gun aimed at the crone's head, she doubted that she would be stupid enough to try anything. Bullets fired quicker that magic after all. "What, no answer? I suppose that means I'm right," the girl added on as her gaze flickered to her footing and then back to the figure in front, "did she at least tell you why she wanted my friends?"

"No, she did not," the witch was hissing a little as she made it to the bottom floor, "I can only hope that she will grant them both a long and painful death."

Kenzi was tempted to pull the trigger there and then, but she had to resort to every ounce of willpower she possessed to resist. Although it didn't do anything to quell her anger, "you better watch that fugly mouth of yours, I'm still in charge here lady, I have a gun. And if you don't shut up and keep walking I will give you a matching hole in your other thigh."

When there was no snappy comeback, the thief couldn't thwart the relief she experienced, knowing that things would run a smooth course, hopefully. In reality, she wouldn't be able to waste time by shooting the witch to death, she had to rendezvous with the others back at the medical facility to save Bo, and then she needed to explain to them that Vex and Tamsin had been apprehended by the leader of the Dark Fae. In short, her day wasn't improving any. She didn't say anything else throughout the time it had taken to march from one end of the hallway, all the way to the front door. She refused to touch anything, thus, she allowed the crone to turn the handle and pry the door open; although each action was sufficiently slower when considering she was dealing with two fresh wounds.

"So, what is your ingenious plan now, little girl?" The witch found her voice again as she stepped outside and into the night air, "I assume you have a car nearby? Hm?"

_'Yeah right, like I'm going to risk that,'_ Kenzi gave a mental mumble as she took a stride closer and pressed the front of the pistol into the older female's back. "You and I are walking, I'm not an idiot, I can't take the chance that you'll use your magic to crash the vehicle."

"Walking? That is going to cost you and your friends more time."

"Don't sound so smug, I'll have you know that I'm an expert when it comes to taking shortcuts in this town," the girl held a sense of pride to her words as she pushed the weapon rougher into the woman to indicate which direction they were heading in, "keep moving."

Was she worried? Absolutely.

Usually she would handle a severe situation with some guidance, but she had no Bo, no Tamsin, no Dyson. It was a horrible predicament to be in. Even having Lauren around would have been useful for morale.

This was all up to her. Only her.

"I better get some fancy ass medal after this," Kenzi mumbled under her breath as she continued to walk, keeping the gun in line with the witch's back to ensure that she didn't try anything sneaky. She might've had succubus powers and tricks of illusion, but it wasn't going to do her any good in the position that she was in now. Trying anything out of the ordinary would be an act of suicide for her. It was just an added bonus that the thief could keep her own nerves in check so well, because on the inside, she was freaking out, majorly.

* * *

Meanwhile, the valkyrie and the mesmer had worse luck in their circumstance. Not only had the two been continually bickering and blaming each other, but they were taken to one of the many Dark Fae complexes that were nearer to the north sector of the town. It wasn't a popular place to mingle as such. If anything, The Morrígan often utilized the buildings whenever she wanted to make an example out of someone, or to 'get' answer - which was the polite way of saying torture. Her reasons for bringing the two to such a place weren't discussed so far. She merely continued to pace along the empty corridor with an expression of grand smugness upon her lips. Her stance was refined and strong, and her head was held high as though she had won some lifelong battle. "I trust that you two know where we are?" She asked in a sickly way as she paid a look across her shoulder. As expected, Tamsin and Vex had no choice but to follow behind her lead, especially with the way that they were still held at gunpoint from the henchmen at the back, otherwise they would have been tearing the place apart by now. Both of them appeared too stubborn to answer which drew a mocking pout from the other female, "oh, don't tell me that you have both grown shy in your old age? Being with the happy sunshine gang hasn't served you well at all."

_'I'm going to ruin this bitch one day,'_ the valkyrie was making a pact with herself, although she exhaled outwardly and rolled her eyes, "of course I know where we are, this is one of your playgrounds."

"Playgrounds? Well now, you make me sound far more sadistic than I am," The Morrígan remarked and turned her attention back to the front as she rounded the next corridor, forcing everyone else to have to keep up with her pace. She had noted that only the detective was confident enough to talk back to her, which meant that there was no way she could just leave things alone, "what's wrong Vex? You're uncharacteristically quiet, this isn't like you at all."

"Don't mind me, I'm just mentally eviscerating you, over and over," the mesmer said through an exaggerated sigh of contentment, "I lost a bleedin' good bottle of booze over this, no thanks to wonder woman over here throwing the damn thing away."

Tamsin picked up on the reference to herself and she couldn't contain a small growl, "you've only yourself to blame, I told you not to split up, didn't I? And what did you do? You wandered off the first chance you got, you leathery buffoon."

"And here I thought that you were supposed to be undefeated, I've overestimated your abilities, 'aven't I?"

"How about I bring my fist to your face and we'll see just how much you've _overestimated_ me?" Tamsin was close to making a lunge at the infuriating male next to her, but she only held back due to hearing the amused tutting that came from the woman in front. "Something funny? I'll give you and your precious mesmer a matching set, free of charge."

The Morrígan stopped in her movements when she came to a specific door on the left side of the long corridor. Judging by how confined the area was, and with the lack of lights, they must have been underground - which explained all the staircases that they had descended. "By the time the two of you are done, I won't even have to lift a finger, you will both tear one another to shreds all by yourself. What an entertaining show that would be. I've always wondered which would be stronger; a valkyrie or a mesmer."

"Clearly you're half as dumb as you take credit for if you believe I can be beaten by a cowardice man," the blonde grumbled and watched as the other woman twisted the handle on the door before pushing it open. Once she had ventured inside, both of her captors were left with little option but to follow. Tamsin had wanted to stand still, but when she felt on of the guards at the back giving her wounded shoulder a sharp nudge, she winced and walked forward, "I'll remember that," she remarked back to the same henchman.

Vex, stunningly, was bad mouthing less that the detective he was stuck with. He entered the room and raised a single brow when he noticed that it occupied two long metal tables a couple of chairs, and more importantly, sets of chains dangling down from the roof, in the center. "Well, this feels just like home now," he stated and then glanced across to the valkyrie next to him. She too had observed the interrogation layout of the room they were in, but she always masked her worries so professionally that it was difficult to figure out where her mind was at. She never gave away a hint of fear.

"Restrain these two ingrates," The Morrígan gave a sound and steady order.

At that very moment, Tamsin suddenly swung her left arm around and brought her fist into the jaw of the same male who had nudged her in the corridor. The crack of collision made him stumble, but before she could try anything further, one of the other henchmen had already raised his gun and jammed the barrel against her forehead. Sufficed to say, she didn't move an inch, excluding the small frown she started to wear. All she could see was that his finger was on the trigger, just waiting for a reason to squeeze it. Still, even though the odds were stacked against her, she could feel her untamable anger on the increase which caused her hands to become tense by her sides - as if she was actually insane enough to chance her luck.

This was Tamsin though - the same female that was far too proud to surrender.

When her right wrist even so much as flexed, the mesmer next to her suddenly grabbed at her forearm with a bruise-worthy grip, "don't be an egotistical minx, you'll miss all the fun if you get your brains blown out right now." Vex may not have been endearing with his choice of phrase, but in his own way, he was sparing the blonde from the mistake of getting herself killed. Whether she saw it that way was her decision. Her limb became limp in his hold so he finally released the strong grip.

"How romantic, Vex does have a heart," The Morrígan had watched the display which only drew out more of her unwanted comments on the matter.

"Oh, get stuffed, will yah?" The mesmer couldn't have been more rude with his denial to being 'soft' with the blonde, "I just don't want her blood to end up splattering on my favorable clothes, it's not my fault that she's off her trolley."

"You really are the world's treasure, aren't you Vex?"

"Well, someone had to take your title and knock you from your high horse."

"Funny..." The female's tone took a bitter downturn as she tipped her head to signal for her previous command to be taken underway.

Unlike before, Tamsin didn't have the speedy reactions to fight back. Her arm was grabbed and she was hauled across to the middle of the room, much like the mesmer was. When she reached the chains, she started to take an immense dislike to being pushed closer, although there wasn't an awful lot she could do about that to save herself, not with so many guns being pointed in her direction. She'd have used her powers were it not for the fact that she couldn't gain enough range. And with the way she had been shot in the shoulder earlier, it didn't help matters. Before a protest could be made, her arms were grabbed and hoisted upwards, the male that had taken a hold of her slapped both of the metal cuffs around her wrists, binding them together tightly until the point where she was nearly forced to stand upright on her toes.

She'd have fought back, naturally, but the other few henchmen around still had their weapons locked and loaded in case of last minute resistance. The valkyrie inhaled slowly and glanced up, she curled her fingers into her palm until she held tight fists and then she made an abrupt tug to test the strength of the shackles. _'Damn, reinforced steel, strong stuff...'_ her thoughts brought her back to the time where Bo had been trapped in similar binds during the period where Kenzi had been missing. What she wouldn't give now to see those two friends fooling around together. Reflecting on the brunette suddenly turned her sombre, her eyelids were heavy in pensiveness and she concluded by averting her gaze back to the front. She didn't need to cast a look aside to know that the mesmer had been tied up in the second set of restraints next to her.

"It almost breaks my heart to see you both like this," The Morrígan smirked and signaled her henchmen to back away, "_almost._"

"And what heart would that be exactly?" Tamsin asked, sarcastically as she drew her eyes to the other woman, "because I can't see it."

"Insult me all you want, valkyrie, just remember that I'm not the one in chains and at the mercy of another. Please, feel free to use your crafty powers, but it won't work. Not only are the bonds designed to restrain your hands, they're enchanted, so your abilities will be of no use either."

"Why don't you quit the cryptic talk already, why did you bring us here?" The valkyrie had desired to pose that particular question a long time ago, but only now did she take the opportunity to do so.

The Dark Fae leader flicked her right hand to the door to dismiss her small team of guards in order to have some privacy. There were no arguments at all, with the only sound being the door as it closed. Now that she was alone with the two, she was able to wear a more conniving smile, "isn't it obvious? It occurs to me that two of my star players have foolishly run off to be on team succu-slut," as her explanation begun, she paced closer to the midpoint of the room, right to the point where she was in front of both restrained figures, but her eyes came to linger on the blonde, "I want you back," she said and then glanced to Vex, "both of you."

"Oh, this is original," the valkyrie took up an immediate disapproval to what she heard, passing it off as some stupid joke.

It just so happened that The Morrígan didn't feel the same way, she scowled and stepped closer to the blonde, grasping at her jaw, "if I wanted you dead, you would be a rotting corpse in the ground. You are both equally as pitiful, but it just so happens that you're also the best at what you do. I need my left and right hand on my side, because the people I have now aren't a percent as capable," she continued on as she loosened her hold and stroked the back of her hand down the detective's cheek with a rare gentleness, "be smart, come back to my side of the game."

Instantly, Tamsin jerked her head away from the touch and glared to the opposite wall, "go to hell, _Evony_, I'm not going to come crawling back to you."

"You really are a sad and pathetically lost little girl, aren't you? There is nothing left for you with your goody-goody bunch of friends, Bo is probably dead by now."

"She's not going to die, I wouldn't let that happen."

"Darling, look at yourself, you're chained up. You can't do a thing for her. It's out of your hands."

"Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time, so I'll say it again; Go. To. Hell."

The Morrígan 'tsked' as she pushed her hand lightly against the blonde's cheek, as though wanting to indicate as to how much of a disappointment she had been so far. Instead, she turned slightly and paced across to the bound mesmer, "and what about you, Vex? Don't tell me you've suddenly grown valiant? You know as well as I that you belong on my team, even if you are a constant pain in the ass."

"Thank you kindly, m'dear," Vex gave a proud and pompous grin, "I can't tell you how thrilling it is to have you prancing around, begging for me to come back, and with an involvement of bondage too," he emphasized by tugging at the restraints.

"Don't be an idiot," Evony's frown faded and her expression was replaced with a coy smile as she leaned closer to the male, "I'll re-instate all of your former titles and prestige, everything you once had, your clubs, your establishments, they'll all be yours again. It's not a terrible price to pay for your loyalty, is it?"

"Damn, that is a pretty good bargain actually," Tamsin muttered casually, seeming to contemplate it, however, she was merely being facetious.

"Blimey," the mesmer glared at the valkyrie, unamused, "you're really uneducated when it comes to offering help and reassurance, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm just saying, for an asshat like you, you probably won't get a better deal in life," the blonde tilted her head so that she could meet the male's narrowing eyes.

"Cheers by the way, you're a real piece of work."

"I know, I'd make a great therapist," the detective's fingers curled into a strong grip around the chains as she decided to lay rest to her careless approach, "look, I suck when it comes to moral support, but we're in this together right? Through thick and thin?"

"Yeah, yeah, through fire and fear, and all that," Vex eventually sighed, aware of what he was going to be giving up, he turned his sights back to The Morrígan, seeing the impatience written all across her beautiful face, "sorry love, but you're going to have to take your proposal and shove it elsewhere."

Evony's stance lacked the same enthusiasm which she had sported quite nicely no less than two minutes ago, "I should have realized that I'm dealing with foolish martyrs," she brought her hand down in a swift slap to the male's jaw, hearing the crack of contact echo in the dense room, "but no matter, I'll just have to make the two of you see sense, I do have my ways." At her conclusion, she traced her thumb over the small cut which had now formed at the corner of the mesmer's mouth.

"You have your ways?" Vex pulled his head back so that he could shine his usual smirk of madness, "tying us up and pleading isn't very becoming for a woman such as yourself, it certainly hasn't gotten you very far, has it, love?"

"Pleading?" The Morrígan released a deeper chuckle as she stood away and journeyed across to one of the tables near the wall, "who said anything about pleading? I prepared myself for resistance," gripping the small cloth that was acting as a cover, she pulled it back to reveal a series of different blades and other unfriendly looking implements, "I think you will both reflect back on this as your darkest day, I'll give you one last chance, swear your fidelity to me."

_'...this isn't going to be fun...'_ Tamsin was disconcerted with how many sharp things she could count, she had expected torture, but seeing it only made it more real. In spite of how fearless she was, no person could deny that the idea of receiving slow varieties of pain was something to be avoided at all costs. Although, she had given her heart to Bo, therefore, she had also given over her undying loyalty. Tensing up, her fingers remained wrapped firmly around the chains, which she desperately wanted to tug and yank against at all costs, "you're wasting your time, nothing you can do will sway me into submission. You've already lost."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that Tamsin - lets start with _you_," Evony trailed her fingertips along the fine weapons at her disposal until she settled with grasping one of the pristine carving knives. Wearing an insanely calm grin, she placed her hand along the length of the blade, using just the faintest amount of her own powers to begin scorching the metal into an intense heat - such as a poker in a fireplace would be at. As she approached the obstinate blonde, she walked in a slow circle around her until she was directly at her back, "I hope the unaligned succubus is worth all of this trouble," she whispered in a sultry voice as she took a hold of Tamsin's shirt at the back and slid it upwards to reveal the unblemished flesh.

_'Shit, this will hurt,'_ the valkyrie was trying to prepare herself. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating, she could feel the blade drawing closer due to the horrible heat. It was as though someone was about to take a steam iron to her back, _'just think about Bo, just think about Bo,'_ she willed herself as she clutched harder to the shackles, holding her breath as she shut her eyes.

"Are you ready, valkyrie?" The Morrígan's final question sounded...

...but she didn't wait for an answer.

* * *

"Dyson!" Kenzi yelled as she virtually shoved the limping crone through the double doors of the medical facility, "yo, D-man, incoming, I need your help right now," she insisted, barely having the chance to look around to room to see where or not the male was present. But thankfully, he was. Nothing had changed, except from the absence of the blonde and the mesmer. Other than that, Bo was still confined to the bed, with Lauren running over several procedures and tests on her. Trust the doctor to be more thorough than was actually required, but was that really surprising? Everything in these past two hours held a constant sense of urgency. It had taken the thief longer than expected to get back to this building, due to having to take the smart choice of walking and also she had to keep an eye on the witch at all costs.

The male detective sprung to action the very moment that his named had been called, he became predatory and stood defensively in front of the doctor and the brunette, "Kenzi, you're back," he analyzed the situation, tempted to growl at the other woman who so easily matched the description of 'old crone'. But, instead he looked beyond her to see that no one else was following behind, "Tamsin? Vex?" Speaking only their names, he laid his strong sights onto Kenzi to await an answer.

"The whole thing was a set-up, The Morrígan has them," the girl couldn't finish telling her story with her voice sounding slightly shaky, "I wouldn't have made it out if Tamsin hadn't..."

When it got to the point where the thief didn't have it in her to continue, the male spared her the trouble of doing so, "we'll get them back safely, I promise," he watched the younger girl with sincerity for those few moments before shifting his gaze to the witch, "but as for you, I can't guarantee your safety when this is all over."

"So, the mighty wolf thinks that he can scare me with a few words?" The crone attempted to throw her head back so that she could cackle, although it wasn't the most intelligent move for her to make, not when the male had so little time for patience.

Both of his hands were clenched strongly by his sides as he watched the irritating female, she'd caused more trouble than she was worth to the people he cared about. If by some miracle no one had the stomach to kill her, he'd do so himself. As he chose to ignore her anger-provoking words, he tilted his head to glance over to the doctor behind him, "tell me again Lauren, does this witch need to be awake for you to get your answers?"

The scientific female was too busy paying attention to Bo's condition to worry herself with the conversation at hand, her eyes were only on her former girlfriend, but when she heard Dyson's question she returned to reality, "not necessarily, I can run my tests and deduct samples to configure an antidote for the virus whether she is conscious or not."

"That's all I needed to know," the shifter started to walk forward, placing his hands together in order to give an intimidating knuckle crack, his eyes were only on the witch - whom was now limping back a step or two. In fact, she'd have ran for the door, were it not for the sole fact that Kenzi still happened to have a gun aimed in her direction. "Consider yourself lucky, this will be a pinprick compared to what my partner is going to do to you when she gets back."

"Your partner?" The crone hissed and made an attempt to swipe forward with her hand, but the male was too quick to dodge, merely by leaning to one side, "she's as good as dead, The Morrígan doesn't broker traitors. If you want to do anything for your beloved valkyrie, pray that she has a quick death."

Dyson's limit snapped so rapidly that by the time he had lunged his left fist forward, he forgot to reduce the power. The witch's jaw was hit with such a force that her head looked like it could have been knocked clean off of her shoulders. Even Kenzi had cringed at the small show of the male's strength, it seemed to be double as fatal when he was angry. But, in any case, the crone's lights were out for the time being. All consciousness fled from her as she dropped to the floor, with no one rushing to assist breaking the fall. In this scenario, the harder, the better.

"Dude, remind me never to piss you off again," Kenzi blinked in astonishment and lowered the gun so that she could slide it into her pocket, she watched as the detective moved to the witch's body before lifting her up so that he could haul her to one of the other spare beds within the room. A bed with reasonable restraints, that was. If Lauren was going to be resolving this problem then the last thing she needed was for the crone to try and attack her. "So, doc, how do we know that any good is going to come of this?"

Lauren was in the process of checking the brunette's temperature with the back of her hand, but she raised her eyes to meet the younger girl across the room, "the witch is the original carrier of this virus, if I can extract a sample of her deoxyribonucleic acid then maybe I can trace the activity in her cellular pattern to create an antibody for anyone else who has been infected."

"Okay, that didn't make a lick of sense, but it sounds like you know what you're doing, so I'll leave you to it," the girl didn't attempt to fathom half of the medical terms that she had heard, the important thing was that the doctor had an idea as to what to look for. If anyone could find a way to cure this ailment then it was none other than Lauren Lewis. "How long is this going to take?"

"It depends on how the subject's body reacts and results to a few tests, I need to determine a lot of variables Kenzi, I can't take the chance of messing up a single piece of data."

"Alright, data is important, check. But what about Vex and Tamsin? We can't just leave them, things could be really bad."

From the bedside, a small groan of discomfort could be heard from Bo, hearing the valkyrie's name had somehow managed to stir an inch of consciousness back into her, "Tamsin," she murmured tiredly, "I...I need to save her," the brunette's eyes were open a little as she tried to sit up, "I'll save her."

"My God, Bo, you shouldn't even be awake right now," Lauren was at the ill female's side in a heartbeat, bringing both hands to her shoulders to ease her back down against the bed, "there is no way that you can possibly walk to the door, let alone undertake a suicide mission to save Tamsin. You need to stay here so that I can cure you."

"...forget about me," Bo insisted, drowsily, yet she wasn't physically recovered enough to put up much of a fight, "Tamsin needs me, she's in trouble...she is hurting, I can feel it in my heart."

"Sweetheart, the pain in your heart is from the virus, you have to lie down, otherwise you'll cause yourself more harm."

"No, it's not that...it's Tamsin, I can feel it...I can just _feel_ it," the brunette gave an untimely grumble when she was outbested and laid against the mattress once more, "I should be with her right now, not here...not on a bed."

During the female's talk, Lauren glanced over to Dyson, indicating for him to pass her across one of the sedatives on the metal counter next to him. The male may not have liked it, but he didn't protest, unlike usual. He picked up the tranquilizer and made his way over to the doctor so that he could pass it across to her. Kenzi scurried forward so that she was at her best friend's side, she took a soft hold onto one of her hands as a way to offer her any support or reassurance that she could at the moment.

"Bo Bo, everything will be alright, the sooner you get rid of this pesky problem, the sooner you'll see Miss Blonde Hotness again, okay?" The thief was successfully distracting her friend's attention while the doctor began to administer the injection into her bicep to keep her stable again, even the small movements that had been made so far had burned the brunette down, it was evident by how out of breath she was.

"I want her back, Kenz," Bo spoke along the same lines, becoming more and more sleepy with each word, "give me my dagger, I'll save her myself...I'll save her..." Unable to finish her phrase, her eyelids drifted shut and she fell loose to the bed, submitting into the slumber that had forcibly overwhelmed her.

Kenzi kept a hold of the unconscious female's hand, stroking the back of the flesh with her thumb. She was torn as to what she could possibly do to make life right again. Although, that train of thought was ejected from her head when she heard a rustling from behind her. When she looked across her shoulder, she was stunned to see that Dyson was busy putting his jacket on, as well as tinkering with the safety on his handgun, "hey, wolf man, what in the world are you doing?"

"Bo is right, there is no way that I'm going to leave my partner hanging," the male put it simply while he frowned and slid his weapon into the holster by the side of his belt, "I don't care who's head I have to bust around this town, I'll find out where Tamsin is and I'll bring her home. She'd have done the same thing for me."

"Sweet, a rescue mission, I'm totally there."

"No, not this time Kenzi, it will be too dangerous, I'm doing this on my own."

"And that is supposed to sound less dangerous?" The thief scoffed sarcastically as she walked in front of the detective, "don't cut me out of this Dyson, I'm not some little girl, I can take care of myself, I can help you."

"Don't you think I know that, Kenzi? You might be a human but I realize that you would walk through hell with me if you needed to," Dyson chose to smile a little, even though his words were spoken in a serious and factual manner.

"Damn straight," Kenzi confirmed his point, bringing her hand up to brush her knuckles in a playful punch against his arm.

"But I can't take the risk of having you hurt, or worse, I know that you want to help me and that you want to save Tamsin and Vex, but we have to think about this rationally. There's no use in all of us running in."

Just as the detective had intended to pull away so that he could make good on his plan, he was distracted by the sound of Lauren clearing her throat, obviously to grasp some attention. Both heads turned her way, and judging by the look on her face, she was about to say something that no one wanted to hear at that moment.

"Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I need the two of you here right now," the doctor stated and withheld a regretful sigh, "speaking of 'risks', if this witch wakes up and breaks out, I'm not going to be able to defend myself, or Bo for that matter. If the two of you leave, everything could fall apart. I'll try to make an antidote as quickly as I can, but then we've got the next problem to take care of...which is extracting the succubus powers from the witch also."

"And what about Tamsin?" Kenzi blurted the question out as if there was no tomorrow. Her eyes were wide in concern, mainly because she knew that Lauren had brought up a valid point. She and Bo were vulnerable, so they'd need protecting if anything went wrong; for instance, if the crone woke up and somehow managed to break out of the restraints which she was currently bound with.

"Okay, I know that she and I aren't the best of friends," Lauren started to reply, speaking in an unusually gentle voice when referring to the valkyrie, "and I'd never want to abandon her to The Morrígan, but she is phenomenally strong willed, if anyone can stall time then it's her. Believe me, if there was another solution then I'd have found it, she would want you both here to safeguard Bo above anything."

"I know," the thief brought her hand up to clasp at her forehead, endlessly frustrated by the turn of events lately, "I know that's what she'd want, but she could be dead by the time we get Bo Bo up and running again."

"And Bo could die if the two of you aren't here to help me."

"So I have to choose between saving my best friend or saving Tamsin? I hate this. My life officially sucks."

"It's not a choice, Kenzi, it's triage. Bo is in a worse condition. I know that you are fond of Tamsin, so if you genuinely believe in her, then have some faith that she will be able to survive until we've resolved everything else."

"At least she's not alone, she has Vex," Dyson added as he scratched the back of his head. The mesmer wasn't his first choice of a fine candidate, but it was better than nothing. He wanted nothing more than to save his partner, although, when reviewing the situation, he supposed that he couldn't trust the witch to be left alone with the doctor and the unconscious brunette. It just spelled disaster.

"Like that'll do her a lot of good," Kenzi shook her head and slumped onto the small stool next to her friend's bed, "you better get to work, good doctor, because we've got a lot of lives on the line here. And not to mention that Bo is going to need her powers back."

"That's a good point," the male detective spoke in the background before Lauren had a chance, "I should call Trick over here, if anyone knows how to perform a restoration of powers, then it'll be him."

"Good plan, D-man," the thief gave a brief smile in the male's direction whilst he busied himself in pulling out the phone from his pocket.

Dyson scrolled through the list of contacts, although when coming to the 'T' section, his partner's name happened to crop up first, which struck an obvious idea in his head, "I'll try to call Tamsin first, see if I can get an answer," he spoke before pressing down on the dial button.

* * *

"...oh why don't you just give up already?" The Morrígan's voice came with a nasty edge as her hand came smacking sharply along the valkyrie's cheek. Usually it wasn't often that the actual torturer was the one who began to grow impatient with harming others, but she was meeting her match with this one. For the past fifteen minutes she had switched between both Dark Fae in front of her. The pain appeared to affect the mesmer more, but he didn't have a lover in his life to keep him going, not like the way that Tamsin was using Bo as a mental rock of strength and fortitude. She'd endured everything so far; blades, burns, gashes, physical hits, emotional attacks. Honestly, it was reaching the point where Evony began to think that she would never be able to break the infuriating detective.

In face of the unfailing defiance, it did not alter the fact that Tamsin was being put through her paces. There wasn't an inch of her body that wasn't crying out in pain. Her arms were tired from being bound above her. Blood oozed free from the areas of her torso that had been on the wrong end of a once stainless dagger. Her sides and back burnt due to the constant scolding of heated metal. And from what she assumed, this was only the shallow stuff. After her most recent slap, it spun her brain and split one corner of her bottom lip, but she merely swiped her tongue along the slight injury, greeted with a familiar taste of copper, "you first," she exhaled heavily and turned her head in order to spit the blood to the side.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you are something of a masochist, no one should willingly undergo this much affliction," The Morrígan was using effort to wear a smirk of confidence rather than one of frustration. She moved her hand to grab at Tamsin's jaw so that she could pull her face back to the front.

"Affliction? Oh, is that what you were going for? Gosh, I didn't even notice," the blonde tried to tilt her head as she summoned up a matching grin of a complacency that she really shouldn't possess, "a child could do better than this, Evony. I'm shocked, I never imagined that one of your torture sessions would be so _soft_."

"You know, it is this idiotic sense of arrogance that I do happen to miss about you," the dark haired woman hissed while her nails dug harshly into the valkyrie's jawbone, "but if you wanted me to be bad, baby, all you had to do was ask." In the following moment, The Morrígan used her opposite hand to grip around the blonde's bicep and she began to tug the limb roughly to one side.

Tamsin's eyes closed tightly as she felt the joint being put under too much strain, her nails dug into her palms and she had been pulling so strongly at the shackles that the metal was cutting into her wrists. Her teeth were gritting, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't refrain from groaning at the horrible sensation of the torture her shoulder was experiencing. She knew exactly what the woman was aiming for; dislocation. It was painfully obvious. _'Keep thinking about, Bo...if I have her in mind, nothing can break me.'_

One more sharp yank from Evony was all that was required until a 'pop' sounded.

The ball of the limb was heaved from the socket, bringing the valkyrie to cry out in agony. The restraints around her wrists rattled some more and her spine arched as further reaction to prove how the damage was doing her harm. She kept the image of the brunette in her head as resolutely as she could.

She thought of Bo's warm smile, the way her eyes lit up when she had something clever to say, the nose scrunch she often gave when she wanted to be cute.

Yes, picturing Bo was Tamsin's reverie to escape from the excruciating pain that reality held for her.

Her breathing was broken and ragged, her forehead sweating with the rest of her body flaring in a similar heat. But still, she couldn't be kind to herself and surrender. She tilted her head to rest her cheek against her able arm while she panted, "this is so pathetic that it's actually starting to become embarrassing, hearing Lauren Lewis prattle on about experiments is far more unbearable."

Vex, for the most part, had suffered similar minor injuries himself, although, he couldn't keep his eyes away from watching the female detective. _'Blimey, she is going to get herself killed if she doesn't shut up',_ he thought to himself, but at the same time, he did feel an unusual respect for the way that the valkyrie would rather put herself through hell and back than capitulate to another.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, valkyrie," Evony glowered and reached back to take a hold of the same blood stained blade which she had become accustomed to throughout this little torture session, "I always get what I want in the end, which you will soon find out," she sneered and ran the tip of the dagger down the front of the blonde's body. "Now, which would you prefer I carved out first, your spleen? Or your appendix?"

Tamsin's heart palpitations suddenly increased tenfold, because she knew that The Morrígan was not joking around. This wasn't good. She didn't fancy being cut into like some animal, principally without an anesthetic either.

"Don't be a complete bimbo," the mesmer called from her side, being decent enough to shed some concern on the sickening position she was putting herself in, "is your pride really worth all of this? Is Bo?"

_'What am I supposed to do?'_ The valkyrie was overcome with a feeling of dread and nausea as she felt the metal of the weapon grazing over where one organ resided and then the other, _'this is so screwed up, I wish Bo was here,'_ she swallowed back a nervous lump in her throat and avoided showing that her hands were trembling by holding steadfast to the chains again. Vex was still trying to talk her down from making a grave mistake, but his words were falling on deaf ears. In front of her, she could see that The Morrígan was just waiting for an excuse to make a plunge with the blade. Tamsin might as well have said the last of her prayers as her lips parted, "Bo means more to me than my own body, so go ahead, do your worst." There, she had sealed her fate, so once more, she was closing her eyes as strongly as she could. Of course, there was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to break down into sobs because these next few minutes were going to be the worst physical pain she would ever come to know, but a greater part of her brain was telling to to keep herself together, even though she was genuinely afraid.

The Morrígan would be lying if she said that she hadn't expected her threat to change the blonde's opinion, "all of this sacrifice for a woman who is going to be dead by the time the day is done, what a waste," she gave a sigh of mock sympathy and brought the dagger to rest directly over where Tamsin's spleen resided, "this is going to hurt, so please feel free to scream as loudly as you want."

"Jesus Christ, Tamsin, don't be stupid," Vex twisted slightly to try and get a better angle to see the detective with, he was trying to use his powers, but whatever enchantments were used on the binds prevented him from doing so, "it's not worth it."

"Time is ticking, valkyrie," Evony clicked her tongue as she began to press the tip of the blade further, piercing just the first layer of skin.

"You're doing this over nothing!" The male tried again.

"Tick..."

"It's pointless, me and you...we aren't the stuff that heroes are made of, let it go already!"

"...tock."

The dagger was preparing to sink further.

"You have nothing to prove!" The mesmer yelled, needing to avert his gaze elsewhere to avoid the possibility of seeing something gruesome befalling a person that could be considered a friend.

"I have _everything_ to prove," Tamsin breathed steadily, laying waste to all protests to change sway her resolve. This was her choice. The consequences were hers to deal with. She knew the price to pay for staying maddeningly devoted to Bo - whether she was dying or not was irrelevant.

The Morrígan was a split second away from driving the knife in, but her cruel action was put to a pause when she heard a sudden ringing from the valkyrie's pocket. A phone call. What fortuitous timing. Her eyes roamed downwards and she pulled the weapon away and instead snuck her unoccupied hand to where the noise was coming from. "Well, fate must be on your side today, Tamsin," she mused in a twisted humor of irony as she slid her fingers into the pocket. In the end, she soon pried out the vibrating mobile, along with the detective's wallet, although that was more unintentional. "Oh look, it's that brooding wolf friend of yours, Dyson, I bet he is just so worried for his precious little partner. Too bad." And with that, she had tossed the bothersome device to the wall nearest to her, the force being enough that it broke into two separate pieces.

_'Dyson, you stubborn son of a bitch, I could kiss you right now,'_ Tamsin couldn't even begin to express the relief that those few seconds had brought her. She had been so close to danger, and now her legs were like jelly. The anxiety made her want to throw up due to the way that her stomach was constantly churning. She didn't care that her phone was beyond repair, it was a habit for her to either lose or somehow break her possessions, but they were trivial to her.

Evony's attention must have been diverted somewhat, because she took great pleasure in opening the blonde's wallet, for no reason other than to cause some form of humiliation. Her eyes glimmered in revelation when she saw that there happened to be a small picture of Bo tucked neatly behind her identity card as a detective, "how romantic of you, to keep your heart so close to you," she began to chuckle while she pulled the photograph out, "very pretty."

Seeing the image of the brunette in the hands of someone she disliked was unsettling to the valkyrie, she tried to walk forward, but only hurt herself due to the consistency of the restraints, "put that down."

"Oh, and why would I want to do that?"

_'Because that is the only thing I have of __**her**__,'_ Tamsin wanted to say exactly what was on her mind, but she couldn't cross that bridge.

"Come on now, don't turn quiet on me," The Morrígan took the silence as a sign of victory as she inspected the picture closer, "I could burn this to ashes in a second if I wanted," along with her tormenting words, her palm looked as though it was ready to glow for incineration purposes.

"No!" The valkyrie objected without any consideration, her eyes were wider, watching the small possession as though it truly was her own heart that the woman was holding.

"Ah, so this does have some value to you?" Evony gave a hearty chuckle and shook her head, "you amaze me Tamsin, you take all manners of injuries and pain in your stride...but when it comes to one little photograph of Bo you are completely undone. You used to hold such promise, but I can see now that you have become so pathetic in your moribund age."

The detective couldn't bring herself to say anything in response, she was frozen as she continued to stare at the picture. Maybe the woman wasn't wrong, it was worth more to her than her own health. She'd kept that image of Bo with her through the darkest days of her life during these past months and she couldn't even comprehend the loss it would create within her to have it destroyed.

"No reply? No snarky answer? I'm shocked," the dark haired female was making the most out of the turn of events, "oh, wait, I know...you think that if your beloved succu-slut dies, this will be the only thing you have to remind you of her, am I right? If that is the case, then I fully understand how important it is to you."

"Aren't you supposed to be torturing me?" Tamsin finally forced words through a set of clenched teeth.

"I _am_," Evony sighed merrily, "I don't know if anyone has told you, but seeing your priceless puppy eyes whenever Bo is mentioned is...well, it's better than anything I could have hoped for."

"I wish people would quit saying that," the blonde barked angrily, "just give me back my picture."

"Why don't you give me one good reason?"

"Because if you don't, then I'll consider this a declaration of war. I've never gunned after you, not once, I played the part of your happy little bounty hunter for a while and then I left, I didn't have any reason to want to hurt you, but if you don't give me that goddamn picture then I will change my mind."

"Clearly a reality check is in order here," The Morrígan began to pace back and forth, "you are in chains, therefore you are my captive. I think it is about time that you realize you are _not_ invincible," she explained her statement as a teacher would do when lecturing a misbehaved student, "and most significantly, you _can_ lose." No time was wasted during her conclusion as she tapped into the slightest amount of her powers, setting one corner of the photograph alight.

A look of utter horror washed over Tamsin's features as she witnessed how rapidly the flames were engulfing the image. Losing that one picture was the equivalent to having someone punching her square in the heart.

It was as though someone had broken a small girl's favorite doll.

Vex couldn't admit that he would fuss over something so much, but from what he could see, it had been sentimental to the detective, thus, he looked across to the Dark Fae leader, "now that's just bloody cruel," he may have sounded sarcastic, but still, he was saying something to defend the blonde, "I bet you're the type who would steal candy from a child too."

The Morrígan allowed the remainder of the photograph to become swarmed in the fire until it had burned fully, then she closed her fist and crushed it into ash with small particles falling to the floor. "That was more pleasing than I imagined," she hummed cheerfully as she laid her eyes onto the mesmer, "and it occurs to me that Tamsin has been having all of the fun."

Well, the male's luck had taken a swandive in the wrong direction when the woman approached him to a closer extent than was considered safe, or sane, "you know Vex, there is a difference between you and Tamsin," she whispered and leaned forward until her lips were close to the male's ear.

"And what would that be? That I'm not stupid enough to tear my heart out and throw it to the bloomin' unaligned succubus?"

"No. You are a coward," Evony's smirked widened when she felt the mesmer unwillingly flinch at her words, "we both know that when it comes to loyalty, you don't have what it takes, I just need to push the right button with you and I've won."

"Oh yeah? And you think you've found this button, do you?" Vex tried to tear back from the close encounter, agitated that he was being degraded for his mistrustful ways - even though it held a partial sincerity to it.

"I have," The Morrígan spared him the effort as she leaned back, her dark eyes were locked with his while she raised the dormant dagger up to his wrist, "what good would a mesmer be without both of his hands?"

One phrase crossed Vex's mind at that moment - _'oh, bollocks.'_

His troubles began to surface immediately as he glared up at his bound forearms, seeing the way that the blade was closing in to his left hand. By now, his breathing rate was irregular, "wait a moment there, we can talk about this like good friends, lets not do anything stupid."

"Good advice, dear Vex, maybe you should listen to it yourself," Evony held the finest edge of the weapon to the male's flesh, over the vein at the front of his wrist, "how long do you think it will take me to hack through the flesh and bone? I reckon I can do it in under a minute."

The distressing question drained all complexion from the mesmer's face, he hated the way that The Morrígan had turned the tables around like this. Why had he not anticipated that she would stoop to this degree before? Most Dark Fae were cutthroats and extremists.

"The way I see it, if you're not going to join me, then I might as well make life a misery for you," the female dug the blade further until the layer of skin was beginning to break, "unless you've had a change of heart...?"

"Damn," Vex uttered under his breath, switching his attention to look at the valkyrie, but she was only staring at the small pile of ashes that had formed by the tarnished picture of her lover. There was no way that she would be able to save him from this, which made their situation even more dire. When he felt the sting to his flesh, he snapped his gaze to the other female, blurting out a fast and furious, "fine..."

"_Fine?_" The Dark Fae leader drew out the answer, knowing exactly what it meant.

"Quit the coyness, I'll join your side of the chess board again...just take the wretched knife away from my prized puppies already," he didn't sound pleased with his change of tune, but there were some extents that he could risk. Without his hands, he felt as though he would be worthless. He couldn't take that chance. As the woman removed the dagger, he exhaled the deepest breath possible.

"Excellent, I can't tell you how glad I am to hear you say that Vex," Evony overcompensated her feigned happiness as she used her other hand to pat the mesmer's cheek, "however, you do understand that I'll need you to prove your loyalty to me, yes? I can't have you trying to double cross me, that would be a fool's gambit."

"And what would you have me do? Steal some kittens? Burn a family photo album?"

"Nothing quite so dull," The Morrígan's grin became permanent to her lips as she stepped away, "I want you to kill Tamsin."

"What!?"

"You heard me, if you want to prove that you are truly on my team again, then you will destroy the valkyrie."

"There has to be some other way-"

"No, either she dies, or you _both_ die, the choice is yours Vex."

* * *

The first sense of reality that started to return to the brunette was the sound of muffled voices around her. Whatever words were spoken happened to be too difficult for her to understand, but she did feel better, physically. No longer was her chest tight and her heart being targeted by sharp jolts of pain, like a thousand daggers, something must have changed. As Bo found the ability to open her tired eyes, everything was a blur to begin with, not to mention she had to adjust to the bright light overhead. A light groan reverberated from her lips while she adapted to her surroundings. She tilted her head to the left, catching the faintest glimpse of fair hair.

Tamsin?

"Oh my God, you're finally awake..." Lauren spoke after turning around to see that the recently diseased female had regained full consciousness.

A welling disappointment filled into the brunette when she realized that the valkyrie wasn't the first person that she had laid her eyes upon. It wasn't that she minded seeing the doctor, hell, it was much more preferable compared to seeing Death himself, "what happened? Where am I?"

"I gave you a sedative about an hour ago and I managed to cure the virus that was effecting your heart, you're in the medical complex," the doctor had never sounded so happy in her entire life as she lowered her hand to take a hold of Bo's. Even with their rocky break-up yesterday, she couldn't deny the need to express her relief.

The virus hadn't even crossed the brunette's mind as of yet, not until she peered down to see that the tiny black veins on her chest no longer plagued her. It would be impossible to tell that there were even marks there to begin with, "you fixed me..." she didn't ask, rather, she was coming to terms with it, "thank you, Lauren. But how did you do it?"

"With my expert knowledge and the witch who infected you, I concocted numerous ways to create an antibody that would fight the foreign disease in your system. My hypothesis is that the cure worked it's way straight to your heart, where you were being effected most." Okay, so Lauren probably gave more of a detailed answer than was required, but some things just never changed.

"The witch?" Bo began to prop herself up into a sit-up as she turned her head left and right, looking for the villain in debate.

"Dyson and Trick took her downstairs to one of the holding cells in the sub level of the facility, we still need her alive so that your grandfather can find a way to...well, to get you your succubus powers back."

"You don't sound too thrilled about that," the brunette noticed, which caused her brows to knit together curiously.

"Look at your situation, you are a human, you have a once in a lifetime chance to be normal, to lead a life without fear. No more feeding, no more killing to survive or fighting every type of monster in the Fae encyclopedia. Isn't this what you have always wanted Bo?" While speaking, Lauren gave the woman's hand a small squeeze within her own, using her thumb to caress the warm flesh.

Bo's eyes lowered to stare thoughtfully at her lap, the doctor was right with every thing that she had said, being a human gave her all that she had ever wanted. For the longest time, she strived to be just like everybody else - to have a fair shot at life.

"You owe it to yourself to be able to enjoy the world, you've done so much for everyone else, don't you think it's about time that you deserve a break? Maybe this is your reward, for everything you've done. Fate is giving you a way out." The doctor didn't want to cause a problem, but she believed that the female she happened to adore shouldn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders anymore. She had done it for long enough. Longer than a person should be capable of.

Were the brunette to enjoy the world, she knew that there was one person she wanted to share it with, pushing past the topic of her current humanity, she gave another look around the room, just to make sure that she hadn't missed anything, "where is Tamsin?" She asked innocently at first while she dragged her vision back to Lauren, "the last time I saw her, she was carrying me out to her truck, to bring me here."

"The Morrígan has her."

Four words had never been so bone chilling before, Bo suddenly felt a lot colder than she had been just a second ago, "what?"

Before Lauren could go into a further description of the events, the front door swung open with Kenzi entering the room, "yo, doc-" whatever question she had on her mind came to a flat line when she saw that her best friend was alive, and awake. Her whole expression lit up, "Bo!" she exclaimed as she raced across to the bed, semi-diving onto it so that she could trap the brunette into the tightest cuddle ever once she reached her, "I've missed you so much! I thought you were a goner, don't you ever do that to me again!"

Bo closed her eyes, touched by the young girl's embrace, she wound both arms around her strongly and rested her chin upon her shoulder, "I'm always going to be here for you Kenzi, I'm just sorry that I scared you. Believe me, this is the first and last time I want to be on the wrong end of a pesky Fae heart virus."

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt at all?" The thief asked as she pulled back, however, she let her arms stay around her best friend.

"If it still hurt I wouldn't be awake right now, but that doesn't matter," Bo wasn't capable of producing a soft smile at the moment, not with the bad news she had woken to, she brushed a strand of her friend's hair behind her ear, "I'm going to rescue Tamsin."

"Bo, you're still a human, you can't-" Lauren tried to protest, speaking from a logical point of view as always.

"I don't care, I'm not going to sit around while Evony does God knows what to her."

Kenzi's cheeks puffed a little when the brunette made a move to rise from the bed, she wasn't sure that it was the greatest idea, but she didn't try to stop her, "Bo bear, Lauren has a point, you've just woken up, you're in no condition to run off and step into your hero boots again."

"Tell me that Tamsin wouldn't do the same thing," Bo turned the situation around, letting her eyes glance over both females, none of them could disagree with her on that point, "I'm going, I can do this."

"Then I'm going with you," the thief knew it was pointless to talk her friend down from her mission, so instead, she rose to meet the occasion, "if you want to go in gun's blazin', then I don't blame you. I'm with you on this Bo."

"Forever and always, right?" The brunette said whilst she raised one hand.

"Yup, always and forever," the younger female said in reverse and smiled as she gave her friend the high-five which she had been waiting for.

The doctor was sinking into further disbelief over what was transpiring, "girls, will you listen to yourselves, two humans can't possibly invade Dark Fae territory, you could be killed. Wait for Dyson, let him deal with this..."

"No way, I'm not going to waste a second, who knows how long it will take for him to return. And even if I wanted to become a succubus again, it could _still_ take too much time to restore my powers to me. Time which I _don't_ have." Bo's mind was set in stone on her choice, she would deal with the witch and her humanity later, right now, she had bigger problems to deal with. Even though she hadn't recovered one hundred percent, she wouldn't wait around without the valkyrie. Her gaze was locked on Lauren's for a while, "thank you for saving my life, again, Lauren, I'll be in your debt forever."

The thief's nose scrunched when she saw the exchange of glancing between the two, so she patted the brunette on the arm in order to indicate which direction the door was in, "we need to hurry, the last I saw...Tamsin wasn't exactly Evony-friendly, if you catch my drift."

"Right," Bo got back on track, nodding once as she turned and began to walk to the door. Her head felt light and her balance was returning to her slowly but surely, but it was her determination that kept her going, "lets go and save my _girlfriend._"

* * *

Wow, so it felt like I've crammed a few things into that chapter, starting with Kenzi's badassery towards the witch, booyah! Poor Tamsin, she is so faithful to Bo that she is willing to face everything in the world...purely to stay loyal to her. x'D

I usually cringe while reading/watching torture scenes, so I couldn't bring myself to write anything _too_ brutal or grotesque, however, I did try to encapsulate the suspense and dread instead by having The Morrígan threaten what _could_ have happened. c':

And now that Bo is awake (although still human) she isn't going to let anything stop her from rescuing Tamsin. I think it's about time for some good ol' Bo/Kenzi action, because they make one hell of a team. And also, believe me when I say they're be a Valkubus reunion in the next chapter. ;]

OH! Also, did you guys see the first episode of season 4? If so, tell me what you thought about it! My only disappointment was not seeing Tamsin at all. In my mind, I'd assumed that she and Bo would've had a chance to discuss what really happened during 3x13 and the whole bath tub scene beforehand...but we can only dream, right?

Also I loved seeing Dyson's dedication to wanting to find Tammy! Wolves and valkyries obviously make friends for life! YAY!

(Reviews! So sorry for the lateness guys! xD )

_frustratedwriter13_ - Awh, well, if these chapters make you lose sanity, then hopefully, future updates will help to restore it! ;D  
Oh, but let me just say now, that I'm grateful that you've taken the time to read/review, you rock! And thank you very much, you're right, Kenzi isn't as 'weak' as people probably assume, she has fighter inside of her and she'll do anything she can to survive and to save the people she cares for. But I'm glad you like reading about Vex and Tamsin, I'm having fun playing around with their love-hate friendship right now. They really do remind me of bickering siblings. c':

_LukeJames_ - Why thank you so much, I'm always glad to know that you're enjoying! It's a pleasure to be able to continue writing for you, so there'll be loads more chapters in the future. :'D

_FlipChick23_ - Ah, we'll just have to wait and see how it is all going to play out. Vex and Tamsin are in a tricky position right now, but at least Kenzi and Bo are preparing to save the day. :']

_Ana_ - Of course I did! I'd never want to let you down at all my dear! And thank you for writing another wonderful review, it really makes my day. :D  
I understood everything that you wrote perfectly, in fact, let me just say that you have very good English!  
Awh, I'm so happy to know that you liked this chapter, it's a blessing and hopefully you're going to like all of the future updates just as much. But you do bring up very good points, especially about the fact that Bo turned human just after Lauren had brought it up, it could certainly make for deeper plot twists. x'D  
As for how Lauren knew about Bo becoming a human, you're right in the way that she could have figured it out during tests, etc. I should have really put a better explanation for that in, so I'll be sure to do so if I remember, 'cause I wouldn't want to confuse everyone.  
And I have to say, I've been leaning towards the idea that Tamsin is dying, so that is also something I'm going to touch upon in the next few chapters. I've been trying to figure out everything I can about her process of expiry, but the tv show has given no hints away as to how it would happen. But, I'm very glad that you asked, because it is definitely a point in the fic that I look forward to reaching. And I've never actually made Tamsin discuss it with Bo, so if it does happen, it'll really catch her by surprise. :'D  
100 chapters, especially for you, that's the target I'll aim for!  
I'm so glad that my writing is able to make your imagination flow, there are a lot of Valkubus fics based solely on Bo and Tamsin's romance, but I want to give you everything; sacrifice, love, betrayal, sorrow, the hardships of life, humanity, loyalty, survival. Everything!

_BSwifty1997_ - THANK YOU VERY MUCH! XD  
That's so awesome that you liked Tamsin confessing to how much she cared. She loves Bo, and she also sees Kenzi as a sort of younger sister, a person that she needs to protect. There's kind of a nice family vibe beginning to develop between the three of them.  
I look forward to writing Bo's reaction, even though I didn't touch upon it on this latest chapter, I've planned on making Kenzi be the one to tell her everything that Tamsin has done during this rescue mission of theirs. c':

_Dark Lord Daishi -_ Well, I'm glad that you were able to return to read three chapters, as opposed to the usual single one. That's awesome, and as always, I found your reviews to be spectacularly smile-worthy! I love reading your opinion on the chapters, and you're amazing for even staying so dedicated to the fic this long, it's perfect! Thank you so much! x'D

_bruubertolo_ - Well, that happens to work out very good for me, because I'm always in need of an experiment partner, I could spend hours trying out a lot of things. x]  
Aw, I might seem innocent now, but I do have a Tamsin-side to my personality, I can be just as forward and as blunt as her...I'm sure...and if not, well, I'm sure you could show me a thing or two, riiiight? ;D  
Oh, I never tire of hearing you say that, it makes my day brighter than the sun! And also, I plan on telling you how wonderful and lovely you are every time that I reply to one of your reviews, because really, you are amazing! And you will always be amazing in my books! :']  
I hope you've enjoyed this recent chapter, it kind of got a little dark for Tamsin and Vex, but at least Bo has finally woken up. Human or not, she isn't going to waste time, she's determined to save her woman! xD  
But I also hope that this chapter makes up for the lack of Tamsin in season 4 so far, I couldn't believe it, I watched the entire episode preparing to faint from her pure awesomeness, but it never came to that...damnnnnn. ]x


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